Paolo Banchero receives MVP chants as he leads Orlando Magic to narrow victory over Utah Jazz

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.

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.