Paolo Banchero Career Night Not Enough In Orlando Magic's Loss To Cleveland Cavaliers
A career-best performance from Paolo Banchero wasn't enough as the Orlando Magic lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-111 on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Banchero scored a career-high 42 points. That total surpassed his previous best of 33 points on Nov. 5, 2022, against the Sacramento Kings. Cole Anthony also had a strong performance with 19 points, and Franz Wagner did it all for the Magic with 14 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Magic (14-7) rookie guard Anthony Black tied his career-high 11 points. He previously reached that total on Nov. 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Moe Wagner also scored 11 points for Orlando.
An already injury-riddled Orlando team lost another key piece with Jalen Suggs going down in the first half with a right ankle strain. Suggs was unable to return after the injury. Magic forward Jonathan Isaac missed his third straight game with a sore left ankle.
With the loss, Orlando has lost two straight games after being on a nine-game winning streak.
Paolo Banchero driving to the basket.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Magic struggled to contain the Cavaliers' (12-9) offense, as five players scored in double-digits. Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell led the team with 35 points, and he had seven rebounds plus six assists. Fellow Cleveland guard Darius Garland also had a strong day offensively with 26 points plus seven assists.
Orlando also struggled from beyond the arc, only shooting 2-23. Banchero and Anthony made the lone 3-pointers of the game. The Cavaliers made 14 of their 34 3-point shots.
The Cavs got off to a red-hot start, jumping out to a 17-point lead after the first quarter. Orlando had a better second half, trimming the lead to single digits in the third and fourth quarters, but Cleveland went on a run each time to get the pull ahead by double figures again.
Orlando returns home on Friday when they face the Detroit Pistons (2-18) at the Amway Center at 7 p.m. ET.
