Suns' Kevin Durant Says Paolo Banchero, Magic Will 'Be A Force'
ORLANDO, Fl. - Even in games where the Orlando Magic has fallen just short, the team has often earned praise for its play and start to the season.
The latest came after Orlando's 112-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday at the Footprint Center. Suns forward Kevin Durant and guard Bradley Beal each had high praise for Banchero and a Magic team that nearly overcame a double-digit deficit in the loss.
In particular, Durant singled out Banchero for his performance against Phoenix. The future Hall-of-Famer led the Suns with 31 points plus 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
"[Banchero] is a force, especially when he got the 3-ball going like that," Durant said. "Only had two free throws and he still had 28 points, 12 of 23 [is] efficient and 9 [rebounds] and 7 [assists]. He's basically a point guard out there. He's going to be a force for a long time and this team is going to be a force if they stay together and continue to keep growing."
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 28 points against the Phoenix Suns.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Banchero scored 28 points and had 9 rebounds plus 7 assists. Franz Wagner also had a strong performance with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Wendell Carter Jr. thrived in his first appearance off the bench this season, scoring 17 points with 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Beal, who has missed much of the season with different injuries, had his best performance with the Suns, scoring 25 points. Beal echoed Durant's sentiment on the Magic's potential, praising head coach Jamahl Mosley and the growth of Banchero and Wagner.
"They're a playoff team," Beal said after the game. "We respect them. We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in tonight. They didn't go away. That's a testament to Coach Jamahl and what he's done with that group. Paolo has gotten better, Franz is constantly getting better and they're constantly building their team out with those young guys. They made us work a little bit harder than we wanted to."
Orlando continues its West Coast road trip on Tuesday when they face the Golden State Warriors (15-17) at 10 p.m. ET at the Chase Center.
