Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero combined for 68 points Monday night at the Kia Center. But it wasn’t enough as the Orlando Magic fell to the Atlanta Hawks 112-106.
It was a back-and-forth contest with 14 lead changes. Atlanta’s production from their reserves proved to be the difference, though, as the Hawks scored 54 points off the bench.
“Yeah, I really think it’s the spacing, the timing,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game when asked how to get back to focusing on the details. “Where guys are on the floor, being patient. The ball has to move faster than bodies. Not holding it. So, understanding exactly where guys are going to be on the floor, but it’s all things that we’ll look at tomorrow. We’ll clean it up and be ready to come out against Charlotte on Wednesday.”
Caris LeVert had a season-high eight rebounds in just his second game in a Hawks uniform. The 30-year-old also had 18 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers traded LeVert along with Georges Niang this past Thursday in return for De’Andre Hunter.
“The win is the most important stat,” LeVert said. “We got the win… obviously on the road, too, so that makes it a little more sweet… against a pretty good team. We are all excited about that.”
Trae Young, meanwhile, led Atlanta in scoring with 19 points. He scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter, helping seal the victory. Young was just named an All-Star Monday morning. After initially being snubbed from the All-Star Team, Young was chosen to replace the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 26-year-old is averaging 11.4 APG, which leads the NBA, along with 23.5 PPG, which ranks 22nd in the league.
“To be honest it’s a little bit surreal,” Young said when speaking about making his fourth All-Star game in just seven NBA seasons. “No matter what I accomplished before in high school or college… none of the stuff I’ve been able to do in the league is easy. I never let these moments go by and not appreciate them anymore. I’m going to enjoy it. It still doesn’t sound real. No matter if I thought I should get called to begin with or not, it’s an honor to be going out there… and represent the city.”
Speaking of playing like an All-Star, both Wagner and Banchero played their hearts out Monday night. Wagner had 37 points (tied his season-high), seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Banchero had 31 points, six rebounds and four assists, including 20 points in the third quarter alone.
“Those two are unbelievable, to be honest with you,” Young said while praising the two young stars. “They’ve gotten so much better since they’ve gotten into the league…both of them are All-Star level players and have been playing really well this year.”
Everyone else on the Magic combined for 38 points with no other players scoring in double digits. Banchero spoke postgame about how he and Wagner can make sure other guys get involved when they have it going offensively:
“I think me and him being the two guys, 29 attempts and 22, and the next highest being six… so you could say maybe we could get more guys involved.”
The Magic had 18 turnovers which led to 20 points. But that’s not the only thing that contributed to the loss.
“It reminds me a little bit of the last Miami [Heat] game,” Wagner said. “I thought we struggled to get a good look at the end of the game and then I think we just had too many stretches throughout the game where we didn’t have the right urgency as a group. We had that in the second quarter and then coming out of halftime as well. We’ve just got to be better.”
The Magic will be back at home Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, who is averaging 28.0 PPG this season, is questionable with right ankle soreness. The Magic have already beaten the Hornets twice this season, with Ball scoring 79 points across the two games.
Other Notes
- Jalen Suggs did not play Monday night (left quad contusion).
- The Magic are 16-10 at home this season.
- The Magic are 18-28 when shooting under 50% from the field. Orlando shot 47.4% from the field Monday night.
- The Magic are 4-18 when they have fewer assists than their opponent. The Hawks had 29 compared to Orlando’s 22 Monday night.
- This is the 27th time this season that Wagner has led the Magic in scoring. It’s his 13th game scoring 30 or more points.
- It’s Banchero’s sixth game scoring 30 points or more.
- The Hawks are winners of four of the last five. Trae Young has dropped 30 points or more in three of those games.