Following their emphatic victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic faced a formidable challenge against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, ultimately triumphing with a 121-106 victory. The Pelicans, having won seven of their last eight games prior to this matchup, were outplayed by the Magic, who demonstrated their defensive prowess and extended their win streak to five games.
Magic's bench ignites comeback with second quarter surge
The game's onset saw the Magic navigating through early challenges, as they struggled to find their footing, trailing by five points at the end of the first quarter. Despite shooting a mere 32% from the field, their three-point shooting — historically a weaker aspect of their game — stood out with a 41.2% success rate . This contrasted with the Pelicans' 55% field goal shooting, marred by six turnovers.
A significant momentum shift occurred in the second quarter. Sparked by Moritz Wagner and Cole Anthony's contributions from the bench, leading to a crucial 24-8 run. This resurgence underscored the team's depth and resilience, elements Coach Jamahl Mosley highlighted when he noted the second unit's impact.
“It shows the growth of the group,” Mosley said. “Their poise settled the group down, and we were able to sustain their run…we had to hang our hats on the defensive end of the floor.”
Banchero notches second career-triple double in dismantling of Pelicans
Paolo Banchero's performance was instrumental in the victory, overcoming a slow start to achieve a triple-double. Banchero's ability to adapt and make pivotal plays earned high praise from Mosley.
“He’s making the right play, the right pass, not forcing the game,” Mosley said. “He reads what the defense is doing, he adjusts as the game is going on.”
Reflecting on his achievement, Banchero emphasized his approach to the game.
“Just trying to let the game come to me,” Banchero said. “I tried to manipulate the defense a little bit just with my passing.” I thought we had some great looks and I wanted to keep finding guys.”
“I think it was more of staying poised than really making adjustments,” Banchero said of Orlando's slow start .”We were just coming to the huddle telling each other, don’t panic, don’t get worried, like we’re getting what we want.”
Banchero also highlighted the collective effort in defending Zion Williamson, who was forced into a season-high eight turnovers. The Magic star admitted it takes a team effort to stop Williamson and credited Jonathan Isaac and Moritz Wagner for their defensive efforts.
Wagner shines in victory, team eyes postseason readiness, upcoming Kings challenge
Franz Wagner also played a vital role, adding 18 points and emphasizing the importance of maintaining competitive edge and adaptability.
“Making sure that we do stay poised when teams are taking something away, which will happen,” Wagner said. “We have answers for that physicality, you can see a learning curve for the whole team.”
This win propels the Magic to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 42-28 record, now only 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for third and three games from the second-place Milwaukee Bucks.
Looking ahead, the Magic are set to face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, a matchup that presents another test of their growing cohesion, resilience, and readiness for the postseason challenges ahead.
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