Doc Rivers Credits Paolo Banchero for Leading Magic Win
The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Orlando Magic for the first time this season on Monday night. While it marked the first matchup between the Sixers and the Magic in South Philly this season, it was the third outing between the two Eastern Conference teams this year.
In the first two meetings between Philly and Orlando, the Sixers focused a lot of their attention on Magic rookie Paolo Banchero. As the first-overall pick has quickly established himself as a rising star in the NBA, the Sixers knew they couldn’t take it easy on the young standout.
In his first two meetings against the Sixers, Banchero drained roughly 41 percent of his shots. He produced 19 points in the first outing and followed up with an 18-point showing. Orlando came up short in both games.
During the first half of Monday’s game, Banchero and the Magic struggled. While he hit on 50 percent of his shots from the field, Banchero had 13 points as the Magic trailed by ten points at halftime.
As Orlando turned their performance around in the second half, Banchero helped lead the way as he tacked on 16 points in the second half during the final 18 minutes he spent on the floor. After the matchup concluded, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers credited Banchero for changing the game.
“You have to give him credit,” said Rivers. “He’s a good player. He made some adjustments on his own. We didn’t change anything defensively. We gave up 35 points in the second quarter, and we gave up 42 points in the third quarter and didn’t turn the ball. A couple of things before the game we talked about was offensive rebounds and turnovers gives that team energy because they’re long, they’re athletic, it gets them out running, and then once they get their offense going, it gives them energy. So, we did exactly what we were not supposed to do.”
The Magic’s 67-47 run in the second half helped Orlando go from trailing as many as 21 points in Monday’s game to finishing the matchup with a 119-109 lead. While the Sixers are the team that’s trailed and formed second-half comebacks throughout the year, they had the tables turned on them Monday night, and Banchero was a big part of that.
The rookie finished the game with a team-high of 29 points in 36 minutes. His performance helped the Magic achieve their first victory over the Sixers in 11 games.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
