In a thrilling game between the Orlando Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans, Paolo Banchero led the way for the Magic with 32 points. Zion Williamson had a scary moment when Gary Harris accidentally tripped him during the game, but he managed to return and play. However, he spent most of his time on the bench due to an injury.
On the other hand, CJ McCollum recorded 36 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who have been struggling lately with three losses in their last four games. Despite this setback, they remain in fourth place in the Western Conference. The Magic’s impressive win marks their third straight victory and puts them just half a game ahead of the New York Knicks for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Franz Wagner contributed 24 points to the Magic’s win, while Moritz Wagner added 18 points. Wendell Carter Jr. played well in this game as well, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The Magic shot an impressive 51.3% from the field throughout the game and held a commanding lead over the Pelicans throughout most of it.
In what was looking like it would be a close game going into the fourth quarter, Moritz Wagner’s free throws extended Orlando’s lead to 20 points with only five minutes left on the clock. With time running out quickly for New Orleans, they attempted a comeback but were unable to overcome Orlando’s defense and fell short by two points at buzzer time (final score: 117-108). This loss also saw three Pelicans players – Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Dyson Daniels – being ejected from the game for making inappropriate comments towards officials during a heated moment between players earlier on in the second half of play.
Overall, Banchero has been instrumental in Orlando’s recent successes as he has now scored over 30 points in ten games this season – including this one that secured their victory over New Orleans’
