Birthday boy Banchero exits with groin injury at Knicks, doesn't return

Arguably the best first half of the season for the Orlando Magic came with a troubling development. Paolo Banchero, celebrating his 23rd birthday, exited with a second-quarter left groin strain at the 6:40 mark against the New York Knicks after a productive stretch where he had a putback, dished out an assist and grabbed a couple of rebounds.

The Magic led 41-30 when he left the floor and extended their edge to 62-42 by halftime. Jonathan Isaac started the second half as Banchero was ruled out after initially being ruled as questionable to return. Orlando snapped New York's five-game win streak and 7-0 start at Madison Square Garden, 124-107.

Banchero made only one shot in four attempts during his 12 minutes on the floor, but his activity was an asset as he ended up with four boards, two assists, a steal and a block in addition to his four points. He made both of his free throws, a plus since he’d missed all three of his attempts from the stripe in the final minute of regulation against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

The severity of the injury is still to be determined, but considering Banchero missed 36 games last season following an oblique injury suffered in the opening month. He missed games from Nov. 1-Jan. 9, returning with a 34-point performance in a loss to Milwaukee. Despite staying healthy the rest of the way, Orlando went 2-10 in his first dozen games back and finished as the No. 7 seed in the East.

Teammates step up to fulfill Banchero's birthday wish

Tristan da Silva played major minutes and Isaac got a bump in his playing time upon starting the second half, but the Magic are hoping this won’t be an extended absence. Franz Wagner, playing with a facemask after breaking his nose early in the week, was the driving force in helping Orlando extend its lead despite Banchero’s departure.

New York trimmed the Magic’s halftime lead to 11 points in the third quarter and 110-101 halfway through the fourth but couldn’t get any closer as Wagner and Desmond Bane handled business efficiently on the offensive end. Wagner finished with 28 points, while Bane added 22.

The Magic will play at home against Brooklyn on Friday night, travel to Houston for a game on Sunday and then will remain in Orlando for most of next week before hitting the road for a game against the Celtics on Nov. 23. The Warriors (Nov. 18), L.A. Clippers (Nov. 20) and Knicks (Nov. 22) will come through Kia Center, so the hope is that Banchero can heal quickly and keep the Magic from being shorthanded against quality competition.

Even if Banchero is forced to miss Friday’s game against the Nets, the Magic should be favored to climb above .500 for the first time since opening the season with a win over Miami. Wednesday’s win in New York marked the first time Orlando was an underdog this season.

Teammates step up to fulfill Banchero's birthday wish

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