With Magic's Core Trio Back Together, Familiarity Sparks Results

The Orlando Magic benefited Saturday from having Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs back together for the first time since Oct. 30 in a win over Detroit. That familiarity, they say, can help shift the energy for the season's second half.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots the ball against Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II (00) during the second half at Kia Center. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – Saturday night in the Kia Center, familiarity filled the air.

With Jalen Suggs joining star tandem Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Orlando Magic were as close as they've been to whole since the end of October. The opening night starting five — the core trio plus Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr. — played just its sixth game together this season.

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley cautioned pregame that the 48 minutes to follow wouldn't be the same as opening night. "But," he continued, "we do expect the standard of play, the continuity, togetherness, toughness, [and] defensive focus that we've constantly talked about ... you can expect that from this group tonight."

Orlando lived up to it.

Despite Suggs dealing with foul trouble, his infectious energy infused Orlando's physicality and fight — something the Magic had been missing in their losing streak. The previous five games weren't competitive by closing time.

Banchero's 25 points dominated through three quarters, and he left seven more potentially at the free-throw line. Then, in the fourth quarter, Wagner exploded for a franchise record-tying 25-points that rendered his 1-for-12 shooting start a distant memory. An 8-for-8 start from Wagner, Banchero and Suggs sparked a 20-4 run and a 42-point final period.

"That's kind of our signature thing when we're at home," Banchero said of the fourth-quarter outburst. "We know that eventually, if we keep the pressure up on defense and we get out and we run, it will wear teams down. I think you saw that in that fourth quarter when we went on a run, and then from there, they were kind of playing catch-up. That's kind of what we want to be able to do to teams, and it was good to see us get back to that."

Simply put, the Magic's big three decided they weren't losing. That capability was ripped from Orlando as it dealt with injuries. But the Magic also realize that, as they get closer to being a complete puzzle, that's what they're capable of.

"They took ownership of exactly what they needed to go to find a way," Mosley said.

MORE: Wagner's 25-Point 4th Quarter Helps Magic Beat Pistons, Snap Five-Game Skid

"It felt great. I can't lie," Banchero said. "It's been a really long time since we've all been out there together. I think it was just a lot of excitement — not only from us three, but from the whole team to have us get back to almost full strength and be able to play in front of the home crowd with a full team and get a win."

Upon hearing how long it had been since the team's core shared the floor together, Wagner smiled and shook his head while peering at the stat sheet.

"Yeah, that's crazy," he said. "It was really good for almost everybody to play together, get some reps. That's been tough for us this year. It's kind of hard to find a rhythm if you don't play together."

Minus Banchero and Wagner, the Magic insisted that they "had enough" to win games and backup players could capitalize on the opportunity to play and succeed. In the same breath, the Magic also emphasized the potential benefit of having their stars healthy and available for a stretch run into the playoffs.

Following Saturday's win, the next question is will the fourth-quarter heroics inspire more like it?

The Magic like their chances.

"To get a win, it just kind of shifts the energy, shifts the momentum, and propels us onto the next one," Banchero said.

"Hopefully," Wagner said. "we can get in a rhythm together and close the season out the right way."

Up Next

Orlando visits division rival Miami for a final regular-season matchup that could determine the season series winner and a potential tiebreaker for playoff seeding. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. ET from the Kaseya Center.

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