Paolo Banchero Destroys Bucks
Paolo Banchero led the Magic to a dominant 130-91 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks, who rested Giannis Antetokounmpo. Social media buzzed about Banchero's 33-point performance as Orlando embarrassed Milwaukee by 39 points.
The dominant performance came on the road, with the Magic never trailing throughout the contest in Milwaukee. Orlando established a 67-55 lead by halftime and extended it with a 12-0 run early in the fourth quarter, eventually leading by as much as 31 points. This victory marked the first time in Orlando Magic franchise history that they have won consecutive road games by 20 or more points. For Paolo Banchero, the 33-point effort continued a string of impressive performances since the All-Star break. In the 10 games following the break, he is averaging 26.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, with a 50.8% field goal percentage. Banchero did most of his damage early, scoring 26 of his 33 points in the first half. The Milwaukee Bucks were significantly short-handed, playing the second game of a back-to-back. Beyond resting Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was managing a right calf strain, the Bucks were also without their second-leading scorer, Kevin Porter Jr., due to a knee injury. This was Antetokounmpo's 30th missed game of the season. With the win, the Orlando Magic improved their standing in the Eastern Conference, holding onto the sixth seed. The victory was their fourth straight and gave them a 2-1 season series win over the Bucks, the first time Orlando has won the season series against Milwaukee since the 2011-12 season. The loss, Milwaukee's fifth in their last six games, dropped them further out of playoff contention.
