Paolo Banchero scored 36 points and helped the visiting Orlando Magic erase a 19-point lead and defeat the Atlanta Hawks 114-108 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.
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.
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.
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
Orlando | Atlanta | |
Paolo Banchero 36 | Scoring | Trae Young 38 |
Paolo Banchero 5 | Assists | Trae Young 6 |
Wendell Carter Jr. 15 | Rebounds | Zaccharie Risacher 12 |
Paolo Banchero 11 | Free Throws Made | Trae Young 8 |
Cole Anthony 3 | Steals | Dyson Daniels 3 |
Goga Bitadze 2 | Blocks | Clint Capela 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Orlando | 114 | 48.2 | 6-25 | 26-38 | 15 | 53 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
Atlanta | 108 | 39.0 | 11-35 | 19-28 | 20 | 51 | 4 | 7 | 9 |