Paolo Returns to the Court

Orlando, FL— After 72 long-awaited days, Paolo Banchero returned to the court tonight versus the Milwaukee Bucks as the Magic lost a nail-biter 109-106.

First reported by Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel, Paolo Banchero will suit up tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of Orlando’s back-to-back games. 

“Well I’m excited for him,” Jamahl Mosley said of Banchero. “Our guys are excited to have him back on the court, being out there with his brothers which we always talk about — I’m just happy for him, for all the work he’s put in, just to be able to get back out here in front of our home fans.”

Injury Report Gets Shortened

Paolo Banchero (return to competition conditioning) would be in the starting lineup tonight alongside Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tristan da Silva, and Goga Bitadze. Nonetheless, Orlando still had a lengthy injury report as they came into this matchup without Franz Wagner (oblique), Moe Wagner (knee), and Gary Harris (hamstring). Milwaukee would have a clean slate on the injury report.

Fast Start for Paolo and Giannis

Orlando, who lost last night to the Timberwolves, wanted to quickly get that bad taste out of their mouth and find some positive momentum to build off of. The Magic faithful gave Banchero a loud and energetic applause during the pregame intros as it fired up this Magic squad. 

“I was just really excited from the moment I woke up,” Banchero on his emotions returning back to the court tonight. “I woke up and realized I was actually playing today and was smiling. It was just the fans, the reception was great.”

As expected there were some jitters and butterflies out the gate for Paolo, but he settled in quite nicely after drilling a three-ball at the top of the key for his first points back since returning from injury. 

The superstars came out to play this evening and they came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokumpo was making his presence felt early on defensively tipping passes, crashing the offensive boards, and as always making highlight-level reel dunks. Giannis in the first quarter alone had 10 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

Paolo in the first quarter recorded about seven and a half minutes of play, chipping in five points, three rebounds, and three assists getting everyone involved in the action. Orlando finished the half strong and they went into the halftime locker room leading 51-50.

Second Half Injuries

To begin the third quarter the Magic announced that Kentavious Cadlwell-Pope (sore left knee) would not return to the game. Starting the fourth quarter, things would continue to get worse and snowball for Orlando as Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) would be listed as questionable and ultimately didn’t return to the game.

Superstars Steal the Show

The second half was as physical and entertaining as it gets in today’s modern NBA. Both of Milwaukees’ superstars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokumpo combined for 40 points in the second half hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch.

“Dame coming off, you gotta just decide if you’re chasing it over,” Jamahl Mosley on the performances of Dame and Giannis. “He does a great job of stopping on a dime and you gotta be careful not fouling him. Then you have Giannis who’s rolling to the rim at a freight train level.”

Banchero on the other hand came out with vengeance and showed the world once again why he’s one of the best young players in the game of basketball. Paolo had an amazing game in just 26 minutes of play, recording 34 points, and seven rebounds, and knocked down 5 of 8 (62.5%) of his shots from deep.

“I didn’t see that one coming, I can tell you that,” Mosley said of Bancheros’ performance. “The kid has been working his tail off to get back in — He’s a star for a reason.” 

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokumpo had high praise for Banchero and the Magic after the game.

“He is a great player. Obviously, he plays at a very, very high level. A guy who can operate on all three levels… Happy that he is back healthy. Obviously, Orlando is a very, very dangerous team.”

With Banchero scoring 15 of his 34 in the fourth quarter, Orlando had their chances down the stretch but ultimately couldn’t close the deal. The Magic had good looks and played solid defense, but couldn’t knock them down or stop Milwaukee’s stars when it mattered the most.

Final Numbers and Thoughts

Jamahl Mosley preached that it was the “small details” that hindered the Magic from coming out on top and was ultimately the difference in the game. 

“Details. Free throw line box outs for five points. Free throw line 18 of 26 (69.2%). Three-point game, the details. The little things matter, the margin of error.”

The Magic had four players score in double figures tonight with Paolo Banchero (34), Tristan da Silva (16), Cole Anthony (18), and Anthony Black (15). Tristan da Silva also recorded the first double-double of his career finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists.

“You can definitely tell everything is shifting towards him,” da Silva on playing with Banchero for the first time. “You got five pairs of eyes on him at all times. He played a great game, first game back. So, excited for what’s to come.”

A heavyweight matchup between two premiere stars was a battle for the ages between Giannis and Paolo. Orlando has now dropped back-to-back games and will be looking to avoid a three-game losing skid as they will play host to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.