Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) vie for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Paolo Banchero scored 36 points and helped the visiting Orlando Magic erase a 19-point lead and defeat the Atlanta Hawks 114-108 in the NBA on Thursday.
The game was tied 103-103 on a basket by Caris LeVert with 2:57 left, but the Magic scored nine straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Cole Anthony and Banchero to regain the momentum and put the game away.
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The win gives the Magic a 1 1/2-game lead over the Hawks for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Orlando ended a three-game losing streak to Atlanta and evened the season series at 1-1. The two clubs play two more games during the final week of the season.
Banchero was 11-for-25 from the field to produce his seventh game of 30-plus points, with 11 rebounds and five assists. Franz Wagner added 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Georgia native Wendell Carter Jr. had a season-high 15 rebounds.
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Atlanta got 38 points from Trae Young, his 16th game with 30-plus points this season. LeVert scored 13 and Zaccharie Risacher added 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
READ: NBA: Paolo Banchero scores 34 in return for Magic after missing 34 games
Atlanta raced to an 18-point lead and took a 33-21 lead after the first quarter. The Hawks led by as many as 19 in the second quarter, which came with 10:13 left on a tip-in by Clint Capela, who returned after missing eight games with a lower back issue. Nevertheless, the Magic began whittling the lead and outscored Atlanta 23-10 over the final 5:08 and took its first lead of the game when Banchero nailed a 3-pointer — the only one Orlando made in the first half — with 4.1 seconds left for a 59-58 halftime advantage.
Orlando maintained the momentum in the third quarter and took a 90-81 lead into the fourth quarter. The Magic led 92-81, a game-high 11-point lead, early in the fourth quarter and led by nine with 7:14 remaining.
The Magic begins a season-long seven-game homestand on Friday against Memphis. The Hawks play the second leg of a three-game homestand on Sunday against Detroit. –Field Level Media
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