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Paolo Banchero quiets noise, dominates tanking Wizards

Originally posted on Orlando Magic on SI
By Matt Hanifan | Last updated Mar 3, 2026 10:29 PM ET

It's been a long 48-plus hours since the Orlando Magic were brutally beaten by the Detroit Pistons earlier this week. There's nothing that the tanking Washington Wizards couldn't help them solve -- handing them a 126-109 win behind a dominant game from two Magic co-stars.

What were a few of our takeaways? Let's examine!

Paolo Banchero, Magic expose Magic's lack of size:

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The 16-win Wizards are tanking and leaning heavily into its youth -- as it should. Though they were missing 7-footer Alex Sarr, one of their best players, due to injury, leaving a gaping hole in the team's frontcourt -- filled by Julian Reese, Angel's brother.

In fairness, the Magic were also without Wendell Carter Jr. But the Wizards were at a clear disadvantage -- and Orlando exploited it. Led by Paolo Banchero, the Magic scored 62 points in the paint, the third time they have cracked 60 paint points since the start of February.

Banchero was outstanding, wreaking havoc on the Wizards' smaller defenders whenever he was able to force mismatches. He converted on 15 of his 21 field goal attempts, scoring a game-high 37 points while adding six rebounds and five assists.

Magic ramp up defense in the second half:

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The Magic's primary adjustment in the second half was ... wait for it ... they played harder.

Too soon? No? OK then, let's keep it moving.

Orlando's first half defensively was pretty lousy, allowing the Wizards to shoot 45.7 percent from the floor despite just shooting 3-of-14 from 3-point range. That includes the Wizards surrendering 16 points off turnovers -- yet they were able to keep it within one possession.

Orlando did a much better job shutting off the water in the second half -- fueling its early offense that put them in more advantageous situations. Off the heels of back-to-back losses to Houston and Detroit, there were no second-half woes in this game.

Desmond Bane continues surge alongside Banchero:

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Banchero was excellent, but so was Desmond Bane.

Bane scored 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3-point range in their dominant 17-point win. Orlando now improves to 22-10 when he scored 20-plus and 11-5 when he scored 25-plus.

Banchero and Bane did their part, with Jalen Suggs, Jevon Carter and Moe Wagner all tallying 10 points apiece. The Magic did what they were supposed to: Beat up on the bad teams. Though it's now time to see if they can spring board that into a winning streak -- with their four-game homestand concluding on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks.