Magic Stars Must Step Up vs. Cavaliers to Win Game 6

Can Orlando Magic stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner simultaneously be offensive threats against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 and force a Game 7?

Apr 27, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) and forward Paolo / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Orlando Magic lost game five of their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers by one point, 104-103, so how does the team bounce back in Game 6 at the Kia Center?

It comes down to two players: Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The two must display the growth necessary from the team’s latest heartbreaking loss in order to earn a Game 7.

In game six, the Magic’s rising stars had varying levels of success against the Cavs. While Banchero scored 39 points, the Inside the NBA TNT Crew had some mixed reactions regarding whether this was a good or bad thing. 

“I like his game,” Shaquille O’Neil said of Banchero, while Charles Barkley didn’t disagree but criticized the team's overreliance on him.

“He played well, but they went to him too much in the fourth quarter that was the difference in watching the game live,” Barkley said. “They went to Banchero like 10 times in a row and he scored like three of them, but they got so stagnant.”

This game featured 17 lead changes and 13 ties. Banchero shot 14-24 from the field and was absolutely dominant, but for as much as Barkley was right about the team getting stagnant offensively, Orlando’s No. 2 scoring option, Wagner, didn't provide much support. 

It was an ugly night for Wagner, who was -10 when on the court (worst on his team) and finished with just 14 points while shooting 3-11 from the field and 1-6 from three-point range in 38 minutes played. This poor outing followed a tremendous showing from Wagner in game four, where he dropped 34 points, going 13-17 from the field, while Banchero failed to even score 10 points, finishing with nine. 

This duo is unbelievably talented, but unless they can both be scoring threats throughout the same game consistently, the Magic will continue to become predictable down the stretch, with one man getting fed the ball. Both young stars must rise to the occasion as this series comes to a close if Orlando wants to have a chance at surviving the first round fo the playoffs.

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