The Orlando Magic have been struggling as of late, and fans are losing patience with head coach Jamahl Mosley. This was a team that lost by 52 points just a few days ago. But the Magic got themselves an all-important win on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns, outlasting another aspiring playoff team en route to a 115-111 thriller of a victory.

The first half of that win was very comfortable for the Magic. But the Suns have not made it this far by simply rolling over, outscoring Orlando by 14 points in the third quarter to tie the game heading into the fourth.

Nonetheless, the Magic kept their cool and earned their 40th win of the season in 75 games, keeping them in the driver's seat for the eighth seed in the East.

After the game, Paolo Banchero explained what went right for the Magic and what they did to hold off a hard charge from the plucky Suns.

“Just coming out with the right energy, the right intensity, and fight together,” Banchero said in his postgame interview, via the official Magic account on X (formerly Twitter). “Tried to find my teammates. Find open shooters, open cutters. Guys did a good job of just moving. Just tried to play a complete game.”

Banchero finished the night with 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, stuffing the stat sheet for the Magic in their win.

Magic bounce back with needed win over Suns

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks on during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena.
© Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Magic are coming off their lowest point of the 2025-26 season after losing by 52 points to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. That was such a disaster that it made it seem as though the sky was falling for Orlando.

Nonetheless, that just counted as one loss in the win-loss column. They bounced back with a huge win over the Suns on the road, and staying within that top-eight at least guarantees them two chances of making it to the playoffs.