Paolo Banchero injury dampens Magic's upset over Knicks

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero turned 23 on Wednesday. A left groin injury, however, ruined his birthday. 

Banchero hurt his groin in a road game against the New York Knicks. When the injury occurred remains unclear. The wing finished with four points on 1-of-4 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in 12 minutes played. 

The 6-6 Magic still upset the 7-4 Knicks, 124-107. Orlando forward Franz Wagner stepped up after Banchero went down. He scored 28 points on 10-of-22 shooting and had nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. But Banchero's status overshadows that.

Why Paolo Banchero's injury is a big concern for the Magic

Banchero played just 46 games last season because of an oblique injury. With the former Duke star spending almost half the season injured, the Magic failed to take the next step and become a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. Orlando went 41-41 in the regular season and lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs in five games.

Orlando started 1-4 this season but has gone 5-2 over its past seven games. Banchero, of course, has played a key role during the surge. In two of his past three games, he has scored 28 points twice. Entering Wednesday night, the first pick of the 2022 NBA Draft was averaging 23.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists. 

The severity of the injury is still to be determined. Per ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley will be re-evaluated when he returns to Orlando on Wednesday.