Banchero’s Big Night Leads Magic to Victory over Pelicans

The Magic’s dominant victory against the Pelicans Thursday night saw them win 113-93. The Magic took the lead with 9:24 left in the first quarter and never let the Pelicans regain it. Both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combined for 61 points in the win. This was the Magic’s seventh straight win vs the Pelicans who haven’t won against Orlando since 2022.

The Magic now move to 31-36 on the season, while the Pelicans fall to 18-49.

Pelican Woes Continue

The Magic dominated the game from start to finish having led the game for 45 out of the 48 minutes. They enjoyed a 30-point lead going into the half after keeping the Pelicans to just 15 points in the second quarter on 5-for-18 of shooting. Banchero and Wagner themselves outscored the Pelicans in the first two quarters having 24 and 20 points at half respectively. This was the first time since 1996 season that two Magic players had at least 20 at the half.

Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combined in the first half at NOP:

44 PTS
12 REB
6 AST
17-20 FG
5 3PM

pretty good pic.twitter.com/gUzgelcdTi

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 14, 2025

This marked the Pelicans 13th loss of twenty or more points the season and mathematically eliminated them from playoff contention.

“When we don’t play up to our capability this is what we look like,” said New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green in his post-game presser following the loss.

LIVE: Willie Green@CaesarsSports https://t.co/zoE6hugMsX

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 14, 2025

Key Players

Banchero led the magic on Thursday’s win with 34 points on 14-22 shooting while also leading the team with 11 rebounds and four steals. Wagner added 27 points of his own on 11-17 shooting.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans in points, rebound and assist. He scored 20 points on 8-15 shooting, along with 8 rebound and 5 assist.

What’s Next

The Magic improve to 31-36 on the season and are right in the thick of it to get one of the final spots in the playoffs. They are currently the 8th seed and set to be in the play-in tournament. They have a two-game lead over the 9-seed Miami Heat who sit at 29-36, and are only one game behind the Atlanta Hawks who have a record of 32-34.

The Magic travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

As for the Pelicans, Thursday’s loss officially eliminated them from any playoff contention as they fall to 18-49 on the season. This will mark Willie Greens second time missing the playoffs in his fourth season as head coach.

The Pelicans travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.