Sixers impressed by Magic rookie Paolo Banchero after big performance
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PHILADELPHIA–It’s hard for anybody to go into the Wells Fargo Center and knock off the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers are such a good team at home not only due to the amount of talent they have on the roster, but also due to the passionate fans in the city and how loud it can get.
For such a young team like the Orlando Magic, their win on Monday was impressive. Especially, when considering they trailed by 21 points and had to dig deep for the rally.
Orlando rookie Paolo Banchero spearheaded the comeback. The 2022 No. 1 overall pick had 14 points in the third quarter as the Magic outscored the Sixers 42-28 in the third to take control of the game. Overall, Banchero had 29 points and 10 rebounds.
“He played well,” said James Harden. “He played well. He made shots. He made shots, big-time shots. he finished around the rim. He hit 3s. He did a little bit of everything.”
In the first half, PJ Tucker did a solid job against Banchero. The veteran bothered him into some tough shots and the talented rookie wasn’t able to find a rhythm.
That all changed in the third quarter though as he made some adjustments in order to succeed.
“Him and give him credit,” said coach Doc Rivers when asked what changed after halftime. “He’s a good player, he made some adjustments on his own, we didn’t change anything defensively, but we gave up 35 points in the second quarter, and we gave up 42 points in the third quarter.”
The Magic have a bright future led by their young talent. Players like Banchero are going to be the ones who lead the way in the win column.
“I think we lost him in transition,” added Matisse Thybulle. “He got some easy And-1s and that kind of allowed him to get a good feel for the game and get comfortable. When good players get comfortable, they tend to make plays.”
The Sixers will look to bounce back against this same Magic team on Wednesday at home.
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