It took Magic star Paolo Banchero barely 1 quarter of Game 7 to blow past disastrous Game 6

The Orlando Magic seemed to be humming toward the second round of the playoffs at halftime of Game 6, as they took a 22-point lead into halftime on their home floor against the Detroit Pistons. However, one terrible 19-point half later, the Magic are fighting for their season in Game 7 back in Detroit.

While everyone on the Magic roster had a nightmare second half in Game 6, star forward Paolo Banchero is at the top of the list. Banchero finished Game 6 just 4-of-20 from the field with 17 points, but he showed up for Game 7. The former No. 1 overall pick surpassed that 17-point total early in the second quarter and went into the locker room at halftime with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

Unfortunately, Banchero is not getting a whole lot of help from his Magic teammates. Orlando didn’t have another double-figure scorer in the first half, so Banchero has been carrying most of the load offensively on his shoulders.

On the other side, Tobias Harris scored 17 points in the second quarter and 19 in the first half to lead the way for the Pistons. Cade Cunningham also added 15, and Detroit went on a late run to take a 60-49 lead into the break.

The Magic are still managing without star forward Franz Wagner, who is still out for Game 7 with a calf injury. Desmond Bane is still capable of making shots and pitching in on the offensive end, but without Wagner on the floor, Banchero will very likely have to put together another superhuman half in order to lead the Magic on a comeback.

The winner between Orlando and Detroit will await the winner of Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. The Eastern Conference is wide open after the Boston Celtics were knocked out by the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, so it’s easy to see any of these teams going on a big run and making it all the way to the NBA Finals.