All-Star Paolo Banchero takes over in Orlando Magic victory against Charlotte Hornets

The Orlando Magic picked up an easy 101-89 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Tuesday thanks to a solid effort by their first-time All-Star, Paolo Banchero.

The first overall pick in 2022 is the reigning Rookie of the Year and is now leading the Magic to a potential playoff berth in just his second season. He is the leader of this young group and with an average age of just 24.5 (4th youngest in the NBA), the future for Orlando is bright and promising.

Banchero had a team high 22 points on 9/19 shooting. Wendell Carter Jr. chipped in 12 points and 9 rebounds while Cole Anthony delivered 14 points off the bench. Moe Wagner and Jonathan Isaac each scored 11 points while it was a struggle for Franz Wagner, who finished with just 8 points on 4/11 shooting.

Vasilije Micic erupted for 21 points in just his second start in the NBA. The 30-year-old rookie came from the OKC trade involving Gordon Hayward, and in his short stint with the Hornets he's been playing solid, averaging 8.7 points and 5.9 assists.

Brandon Miller had a nice night, scoring 18 points and hitting 4 triples. Tre Mann also scored 18 points while it was a rough game for Miles Bridges, as he went into the locker room due to a wrist injury. He was able to return but he only finished with 7 points on 3/16 shooting.

The Magic improve to 36-26 with this win and now sit 1 game above the 7th seeded Miami Heat. At the moment, Orlando is out of the play-in race but with still over a month left to go in the season, anything can happen so their focus is to win as many games as possible to remain in the top 6. They are on fire right now, winning 4 in a row and going 8-2 over their last 10 games. Their next matchup will be tomorrow against the Washington Wizards.

Meanwhile, this loss drops the Hornets to 15-47. Charlotte has the 4th worst record in the Association, so they will get a high draft pick this summer. The organization will look to add another top talent to their core of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. This is now 5 losses in a row and they will face off against the Wizards on Friday.