Paolo Banchero's second-half surge should worry East contenders

The Wizards made a comeback in the third quarter, helped by Orlando's offensive woes, but the Magic's other young star, Franz Wagner, took over to start the final quarter. He scored the first seven points of the quarter, giving Orlando a 12-point cushion.

Orlando stayed a game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for seventh place in the East, which would allow it to host the 7-8 play-in game. While the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have impressive teams, the Magic would be a tough first-round matchup for either, due to having the second-best defense in the NBA and a player in Banchero who has scored 30 or more points in eight of his last 12 games.

With a lockdown defense, an inferior team can steal a playoff game, as long as they have one player who can get buckets when it matters. For the last six weeks, Banchero has looked like that player.