Orlando, FL – Returning from a rough two-game road trip, the Magic had seemingly struck gold last night in a massive blowout victory against Charlotte. A stunning performance on both ends, as there were some eye-popping statistics on the Magic part.
The tall ball starters placed in light of Cole Anthony’s recent oblique muscle injury has been the most effective lineup put out by Coach Mosley — the five man lineup of Bol, Banchero, Wagner, Carter Jr., and Ross posted an average +/- of 21. Banchero and Wagner’s fluidity handling the ball made for some gorgeous highlight plays that got the Amway Center roaring.
Most notably, the Magic for the first time this season out-rebounded, out-stole, out-blocked, and out-assisted the opposing team. A dominating performance in every facet and one that certainly did not disappoint the home crowd. Paolo Banchero’s 21 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists earned him “MVP” chants while at the free throw line in the third quarter.
Banchero once again proved why he is the superstar we all imagined he’d be, and only 6 games into his career at that. The production we’re seeing out of the 19-year-old forward this early into his career is simply unprecedented— we’re entering rookie LeBron James territory. Banchero was on triple double watch for the majority of the home win, however because of the game’s nature, garbage time started just a tad earlier than expected.
“The Orlando Magic played tonight without a single listed point guard on their roster. They finished the game with 29 total assists, a season high for the team so far.” @kp20magic on Twitter
The Charlotte Hornets, prior to last night, were the number one net rated offense in the league and shot the highest 3 point percentage in the league. The proof is in the pudding: Steve Clifford’s new system was working. Until it ran into a giant brick wall called the Orlando Magic, that is. Filtering for garbage time, the Magic allowed this top rated offense to score a total of 70 points, backed by a impressive feat holding the Hornets to 11 points in the 2nd quarter.
Flashes from Bol Bol continue to show, and it’s time it gets talked about more. The contributions on both ends are certainly not going unnoticed. It seems the encouraging comments and excited discourse from the Magic roster surrounding Bol throughout the offseason are being proven true. Another double digit scoring night (11 points) and solid rim protection to go with it for the former 44th pick.
In terms of morale, this win was absolutely necessary. Narratives about this team and implications were running rampant, and it’s time the NBA world was reminded of their promise as a young core. A home win in blowout fashion should certainly prove big for the locker room, heading into a challenging game against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.
It was also announced soon after the game that the Orlando Magic will be picking up third and fourth year respective options on Cole Anthony, Chuma Okeke, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs. RJ Hampton did not get his option picked up by the club, which now makes him an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming offseason.
