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Paolo Banchero receives MVP chants as he leads Orlando Magic to narrow victory over Utah Jazz
NBAFriday, 01 March 2024 at 03:45
All-Star Paolo Banchero missed the last 2 games due to an illness, but he returned tonight and put up a dominant performance, leading the Orlando Magic to a 115-107 victory over the Utah Jazz at Kia Center.
This game was neck and neck until the final minutes, as the Magic went on an 11-0 run in the final 2 minutes to pull away from the Jazz. Leading 104-103, the run started with 2 clutch three pointers by Jalen Suggs and then a huge Franz Wagner steal and fastbreak dunk to give Orlando a 112-103 advantage. The next possession Paolo Banchero got fouled and shot free throws, and the fans in Florida took the chance to shout “MVP” toward the 2022 first overall pick.
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Last year’s Rookie of the Year finished with a team high 29 points and 9 rebounds on 10/16 shooting, including scoring 14 points in the 4th quarter. Franz Wagner contributed 14 points with 2 steals and 2 blocks while Jalen Suggs had 15 points and hit 4 triples. Gary Harris ended with 13 points and off the bench, Moe Wagner recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds.
For the Jazz, three players scored 19 points: John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Keyontae George. Lauri Markkanen finished with 18 points while hitting 4 shots from beyond the arc. Rookie Taylor Hendricks scored 10 points on 3/6 shooting.
Orlando improves to 34-26 with this win, jumping up to the 7th seed in the East. The Magic are in a 4-way tie with the Heat, 76ers, and Pacers, but due to tiebreaker reasons they sit in the play-in spot. With the middle of the standings this tight, picking up this victory was huge for their postseason aspirations. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games and will look to get another win on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons.
Meanwhile, this loss drops the Jazz to 27-33 in the West. Utah is slowly falling farther away from the play-in spot and it seems like they may be content getting another lottery pick this summer. They have lost 7 of their last 8 games and will face off against the Miami Heat on Saturday.
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