ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando's Paolo Banchero did not have a good game statistically in his first Play-In Tournament. Yet in the first quarter Tuesday night, the Magic's 22-year-old power forward showed he can dominate a game without making a shot.
“It was a fun game, a big-time game, a unique type of challenge,” said Banchero after Orlando beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-95. “I was interested to see how they were going to try to guard me. You could tell in the first quarter I was trying to get my teammates involved, moving the ball, and those guys got going. They carried us throughout the game.”
With the victory, the Magic earned the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed and will start their first-round playoff series at Boston on Sunday.
The statistical honors in Tuesday's win over Atlanta went to the Magic's Cole Anthony, who scored 26 points, and Anthony Black, who added 16 Anthony and Black finished with plus-minus differentials of 32 and 34, respectively.
'When I saw that they were doubling up and trapping, I knew that guys were going to get open looks," said Banchero, who finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and a plus-18.
Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley saw Banchero contribute in other ways.
“They were loading up on him, and he was trying to find the right passes, and trying to get after it defensively,” Mosley said. “I think there’s little pieces of the game that go unseen, but because of how teams were playing him, he was able to make the right plays at the right time.”
Especially in the first quarter. Banchero led the Magic to a 32-17 advantage without making a shot. In the first 12 minutes, he had five rebounds and five assists and made 7 of 8 free throws.
“What carried me tonight was getting to the free throw line," he said. "I was able to knock down most of my free throws, which kept me in rhythm even though I didn’t have a good night shooting.”
Banchero's first field goal came with 3:19 left in the first half and it gave the Magic with their biggest lead of the game at 57-35. He finished 4 for 13 from the floor, missed all three of his 3-point shots, and was 9 for 11 from the line.
In three regular-season games against Atlanta, Banchero scored more than 30 points in each and shot 46%. The Hawks took the ball out of his hands Tuesday night, but Banchero knew where to send it.
“Anthony Black, Cole (Anthony) obviously ... everyone came in and made plays and made my job easier,” he said.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Dick Scanlon, The Associated Press
