Paolo Banchero Makes History in Orlando Magic’s Win Over the New Orleans Pelicans

• Paolo Banchero leads the Orlando Magic in several stats categories this season
• He stepped up big time in Monday’s victory against the New Orleans Pelicans
• Banchero made several clutch jumpers in the closing minutes to seal the win

The 2022-23 NBA season has been rough for the Orlando Magic.

They are 13th in the Eastern Conference, with Orlando sporting a paltry 26-36 record.

There is still a bright spot to their campaign though, and that is the performance of rookie, Paolo Banchero.

Banchero leads the team not only in scoring (19.9 points per game) but also in rebounds (6.6 per game), assists (3.6 per game), and steals (0.9 per game), per ESPN.

On Monday, he showed his importance to the Magic in their win against the New Orleans Pelicans. He scored 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out four assists in 34 minutes of action.

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Banchero shot 10 of 18 from the field and knocked down 9 of his 11 free throw attempts in the 101-93 win.

Banchero stars with endgame heroics

He won plaudits for his impressive play down the stretch.

With the game tied at 93, Banchero took matters into his own hands. He knocked down a pair of clutch jumpers to give Orlando a 97-93 advantage.

The Magic finished the game on an 8-0 run to hand the New Orleans Pelicans their fourth straight loss, per the Associated Press.

Banchero passes Penny

Banchero made history with his performance, as this was the 30th game in which he scored at least 20 points.

That moved the former Duke star one game ahead of Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway for the second-most 20-point games by an Orlando rookie.

Shaquille O’Neal set the franchise record in the 1992-93 season with 60 20-point outings during his rookie year.

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Wembanyama dazzles in FIBA qualifier

Sports Brief reported that Banchero isn’t the only young player making waves in the basketball world right now.

Projected NBA top pick, Victor Wembanyama’s excelled for France in the FIBA World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic.

He dominated the Czechs, scoring 22 points and 17 rebounds, to help his team overcome a 19-point deficit in the second quarter.