Banchero closed Friday's 95-93 victory over the Celtics in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with 29 points (10-25 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 7-8 FT), six rebounds, one assist and two steals across 42 minutes.
Banchero scored at least 29 points for the third straight game, this time doing just enough to get them over the line. Both he and Franz Wagner have put their best foot forward thus far, carrying the Magic on the offensive end. Orlando will be hoping for a repeat performance when the two teams meet again in Game 4 on Sunday.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Double-doubles in Game 3 win
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Carter had 10 points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist and one block across 31 minutes during Friday's 95-93 victory over the Celtics in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Carter recorded his first double-double of the series, albeit a modest one. Despite having nailed down the starting center position, Carter has been far from dominant. Through the first three games, Carter is averaging 10.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game.
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Magic's Franz Wagner: Flirts with triple-double
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Wagner finished with 32 points (11-27 FG, 3-13 3Pt, 7-12 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals across 38 minutes during Friday's 95-93 win over the Celtics in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Wagner led from the front, falling just short of a triple-double as the Magic edged out the Celtics to stay alive in the series. Despite having lost the first two games, Wagner has been arguably the most consistent player throughout the series, averaging 26.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 three-pointers.
Houstan racked up zero points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt) across 11 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to Boston in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Houstan has scored just three total points while shooting 14.3 percent from the field during Orlando's first two games of their first-round series against Boston. The Magic will likely need better production from Houstan and the rest of the bench in order to come back from a 2-0 deficit.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Misses out on double-double
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Carter racked up 16 points (6-8 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds and one assist across 33 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
After scoring just four points in Game 1, Carter converted all three of his three-point attempts in Game 2 and was Orlando's third-leading scorer. Carter averaged 7.2 rebounds per game during the regular season but is averaging 10.5 boards per contest so far in the playoffs.
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Magic's Franz Wagner: Quality outing not enough
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Wagner finished Wednesday's 109-100 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with 25 points (10-20 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 40 minutes.
Wagner has had a solid start to Orlando's first-round matchup with Boston, averaging 24.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks in 38.0 minutes across the first two contests. However, Wagner has converted just two of his 13 three-point attempts as the Magic have dropped the first two games of the series.
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Magic's Cory Joseph: Two swipes in loss
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Joseph accumulated seven points (3-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt), one rebound, three assists, one block and two steals across 23 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to Boston in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
After going scoreless in Game 1, Joseph was able to put points on the board Wednesday. He was also one of three players on his squad to record two steals. Orlando now faces a 2-0 deficit heading into Game 3, with hope starting to dwindle for a talented young team that has dealt with several costly injuries all season.
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Magic's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Poor outing in loss
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Caldwell-Pope produced three points (1-9 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT) and four rebounds in 35 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to Boston in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Caldwell-Pope has struggled mightily offensively to begin Orlando's series against Boston, averaging 4.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assists in 35.0 minutes across the first two contests. Caldwell-Pope has shot just three of his 14 field-goal attempts and two of his 10 three-point attempts.
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Magic's Goga Bitadze: Sees eight minutes
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Bitadze racked up two points (1-1 FG), three rebounds, one assist and one block in eight minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
After playing a sizable role during the regular season with 7.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks in 20.4 minutes per game, Bitadze has played a total of nine minutes to open this series against Boston. Wendell Carter and Paolo Banchero are soaking up the vast majority of frontcourt minutes, and that's unlikely to change ahead of Game 3.
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Magic's Anthony Black: Notches 11 points in loss
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Black produced 11 points (4-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-5 FT) and four rebounds across 23 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to Boston in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Black led Orlando's second unit in minutes played and was the only player to hit double-digit points. The Magic are running a very tight rotation at every position other than point guard, as Black is basically in a timeshare with veteran Cory Joseph.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Scores 32 in Game 2 loss
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Banchero amassed 32 points (12-25 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 6-11 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in 43 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to Boston in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Banchero led all scorers in Game 1 with 36 points (14-27 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 42 minutes, but he was outdone by Jaylen Brown this time around -- Brown had 36 points for Boston. Despite being down 2-0, Banchero has been a force in this series with 34.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 3.0 three-pointers.
