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The Magic are without star forward Paolo Banchero. It showed on Sunday evening.
The Lone Star State housed an early-season contest between the Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic to conclude the second week of the NBA season, with the Mavericks besting the Paolo-less Magic 108-85.
The Magic’s Fallen Star
Following a 3-2 start to the season, the Magic (3-4) announced on Thursday that All-Star forward Banchero suffered a torn oblique and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Just In: Orlando Magic superstar Paolo Banchero has been diagnosed with a torn right oblique and is sidelined indefinitely, sources tell ESPN. He will be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks and return to play will be based on how he responds to treatment. pic.twitter.com/hq4qh7IONa
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2024
Through five games this year, Banchero averaged 29 points per game, a step up from his 22.6 last season. He’s accounted for a quarter (25.8%) of the Magic’s scoring, and his departure, naturally, produces a challenge for the Magic.
“It sucks. There’s no other way to put it,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “It sucks for him, the way in which he started this year, the way in which he was playing, the way he’s carrying us in so many ways.”
Seven games into the season, the Magic rank 25th in the NBA in scoring, a similar location to where they finished last year at No. 24. With Banchero in the lineup, the Magic are a functional, but not great, offensive team. With him out, they’ve struggled to score, which became evident against the Mavericks (4-2) early on Sunday.
Catching an Earlier Flight
The Magic only spent a few minutes in the American Airlines Center before they started loading the buses for Oklahoma City.
Through the first half of the sparsely-watched fall Sunday evening contest, the Mavericks’ offense drowned the Magic. After briefly holding the lead to start the game, the Magic quickly withered to the might of Luka Doncic as the Mavericks outscored the Magic 46-20 over the final 15 minutes of the half.
25 IN THE 1ST HALF.
Luka going OFF
Watch on NBA League Pass!
https://t.co/qNL4HePLTK pic.twitter.com/n7Fs2s9mJP— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2024
Doncic finished the game with 32 points, while Dereck Lively II, Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford all notched double-figures in support.
Too Tall a Task
The Magic came out of the half staring at a scoreboard with a lopsided 65-40 score, needing an offensive spark their offense isn’t capable of.
With Banchero out and forward Wendell Carter Jr. leaving after only nine minutes, Orlando struggled to push back against Dallas in the paint. The Mavericks outscored the Magic 52-36 near the rim and brought down 53 rebounds. Gafford’s interior presence was the most notable, finishing with eight rebounds.
Mavs big men tonight
Dereck Lively: Daniel Gafford:
11 PTS 18 PTS
11 REB 8 REB
71% FG 69% FG (nice)
+ 25 (team high) 1 STL— Demon Duo underneath pic.twitter.com/23139hq9S4
— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) November 4, 2024
Franz Wagner paced the Magic offense with 13 points, but he didn’t utilize his shooting abilities much. He only took two shots behind the three-point line. However, the rest of the Magic didn’t hesitate to shoot, possibly to their demise. Orlando finished 8-for-41 (19.5%) on three-pointers, their worst rate in the young season.
What’s Next
Orlando will try to tread water without its star—a challenging feat in the coming games. The Magic will move from one 2024 Western Conference semifinalist to another, facing the Oklahoma City Thunder (6-0) tonight.
