Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. proved that they are the future of Orlando Magic basketball as these talented big men put up an all-around clinic in Friday’s 113-103 win over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Banchero’s 5-for-15 shooting clips pale to his near-flawless shooting night against the Brooklyn Nets two days ago but he nevertheless stuffed the stats sheet, recording 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in 36 minutes.
Franz Wagner thru three quarters at TOR:
17 PTS
6 REB
6-9 FG
5-6 FT
+14 +/- pic.twitter.com/KCF2NrmPDL— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 16, 2024
Wagner led all Magic scorers with 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. He added 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 31 minutes of play. Carter Jr. also made a good account of himself in 28 minutes, tallying 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Orlando, who shot 50 FG% and 45.2 3P%, used a 15-4 rally late in the final 4 minutes of the third quarter to earn a double-digit lead entering the payoff period. The Magic opened the fourth quarter with another major run capped by Cole Anthony’s 26-foot step-back three-pointer that increased the lead to 19 and sealed the road win in Toronto.
WAGIC WIN ???? pic.twitter.com/9K0CJgDXpe
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 16, 2024
With Scottie Barnes out with a hand injury and RJ Barrett mourning the death of his younger brother, Gary Trent Jr. took charge for the Raptors as he scored a game-high 31 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
The Magic are now 11 games above .500 (39-28) heading into an 8-game stand which begins on Sunday against the Raptors.