Orlando Magic’s success continues: Paolo Banchero takes over in comeback victory over Washington Wizards

The Orlando Magic were trailing by 21 points in the first half, but they kept fighting led by All-Star Paolo Banchero. Ultimately, they successfully pulled off the comeback and defeated the Washington Wizards 119-109 at Capital One Arena.

The Magic have been on a tear this season, winning more games than all of last year and currently holding a top 4 seed in the East. Nobody saw this level of success happening this quickly, as Orlando has one of the youngest squads in the NBA.

The reigning Rookie of the Year is the reason for all this improvement, and he did his thing again in this game, finishing with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists. Franz Wagner scored a game high 28 points while Jalen Suggs contributed 19 points. Moe Wagner recorded 16 points off the bench while Cole Anthony had 11 points.

Jordan Poole had another big scoring night, ending with 26 points off the bench. Kyle Kuzma scored 25 points while Deni Avdija finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds. Richaun Holmes had 12 points off the bench.

This win improves the Magic to 37-26 and they remain the 4th seed with a 0.5 game lead over the New York. Orlando has impressed a lot of people in the NBA community with their play this season and it’s looking like they will make the playoffs this year. They are on a roll right now, winning 5 in a row and going 8-2 over their last 10 games. Their next matchup will be on Friday against the Knicks.

Washington drops to a league worst 9-53 with this loss. The Wizards have now lost 16 games in a row and have overall just been disappointing this season. Their next game will be on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.