Magic pull away against Anthony Edwards-less Timberwolves

Even though the Magic entered halftime with a 10-point lead, the Timberwolves, who were missing a number of key rotation players, including superstar guard Anthony Edwards, were competitive.

Courtesy of a 9-2 run, Minnesota quickly made it a one possession game in the opening 1:16 of the second half. But Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs spearheaded a 22-6 run to give Orlando a 19-point advantage with 4:25 left in the period.

The Magic did not let up. The deficit did not fall below 16 points until 1:02 left, scoring 130-plus points for the 11th time this season.

Magic bench had an incredibly efficient night:

This game was largely out of reach in the second half. But even when it wasn't, a Magic bench that hasn't been all that impactful for the much of the season was, indeed, impactful!

The Magic's top-four off the bench -- Tristan da Silva, Goga Bitadze, Anthony Black and Jevon Carter -- combined to score 43 points on 57.1 percent shooting and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Bitadze had 15 boards and six dimes; Black had six boards; Carter made all three of his 3-point tries.

Collectively, the Magic had seven scorers reach double figures tonight. Everyone pitched in, which is a good sign.

Paolo Banchero was in cruise control all night:

From the opening tip, Paolo Banchero was the best player on the floor.

He was outstanding across 30 minutes against the shorthanded Timberwolves. He scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, adding eight rebounds and six assists.

Minnesota deployed Naz Reid on him, and Banchero took full advantage. And when the star wing was able to exploit his matchup, he exposed the Timberwolves' lack of size on the back-line, scoring 14 of his 20 inside the paint.

When he's aggressive with intention, he's a difficult human to contain. At times, that's a big if. But there was no "if" tonight.

Magic catch a break with Franz Wagner's injury:

With 10:01 left in the third quarter, we could hear all 18,482 inside Kia Center -- plus hundreds of thousands of other Magic fans -- gasp. Or scream. Or all of the above!

After successfully wiping down on a Jalen McDaniels layup attempt, Franz Wagner came up grabbing his left knee. It appeared to be a hyper-extension, but Wagner, whose season has been marred by a high ankle sprain, immediately limped to the locker room.

Wagner eventually returned with 2:44 left in the third quarter. He finished with 17 points and a pair of assists in 21:37, knocking down seven of his 13 shot attempts.

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