ORLANDO, Fla. — Paolo Banchero put up another 20-point outing and helped the Orlando Magic post a dominating win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 24 points, while Bol Bol had 21 points and seven rebounds in the 135-124 win. Banchero recorded 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Mo Wagner scored 17 points, and Markelle Fultz added 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
The Magic erupted for a franchise-record 50 points in the first quarter and led by as many as 29 points in the opening frame. It marked the ninth time in NBA history that a team eclipsed the 50-point mark in the first quarter and the first time since Portland did it on May 10, 2021.
“I really thought they defended,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of the first-quarter display. “I think a lot of those points were early on, us getting stops and getting out and running, and then sharing the basketball the way we know we can play.”
The Magic tied a team record with eight players scoring in double figures. The group posted its fourth straight win with the performance, the longest such streak since taking the first four games of the 2020-21 season from Dec. 23-29, 2020.
The first quarter was fun tonight! #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/GVA7L0K0MH
— Bally Sports Florida: Magic (@BallyMagic) December 15, 2022
Banchero finished with his 17th game with at least 20 points, the most by a rookie this season. He went 6-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, in 33 minutes. He converted six of seven attempts from the free-throw line.
His effort on defense also stood out.
The No. 1 pick added two steals and one block, and he was a team-high plus-15 on the court. He had great help defense throughout the contest and was active in the passing lanes.
“I think that is something we’ll continue to talk to him about,” Fultz said. “He is an unbelievable talent and can be on both ends of the floor. It is just showing what we’re capable of and now that we’re showing it, there is no going backward from here.”
BOL BOL 😱 pic.twitter.com/i2uaXn1uFr
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 15, 2022
Orlando improved to 9-20 with the win to wrap up a five-game homestand in which it went 4-1. The team begins a four-game road trip with a back-to-back set in Boston on Friday and Sunday. They will see the Hawks again on Monday and visit Houston on Wednesday.
They want to keep the momentum going onto the road.
“They feel really good, but the one great thing that they said is don’t let up,” Mosley said. “To a man, each one of them said don’t let up, not be satisfied and understand that it is a long year. What we’ve dealt with and what we’ll continue to deal with the ups and downs but them being able to tie into each other and not be satisfied.”
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