Banchero, Wagner lift Magic past Lakers

Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel on Mar 24, 2025

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ORLANDO, Fla. — On a night where the Magic inducted Dwight Howard into the franchise’s Hall of Fame, the celebration continued on the court when Orlando staved off a fourth-quarter run by the Los Angeles Lakers to capture a key win inside a packed Kia Center.

Led by a combined 62 points from Franz Wagner (32) and Paolo Banchero (30), Jamahl Mosley’s squad overcame the star power of Luka Doncic (32) and LeBron James (24) in a 118-106 victory Monday night.

Orlando took control of the contest with a big third quarter when it outscored Los Angeles 34-18 in the frame. But the Lakers cut the deficit to single digits halfway through the final frame before the Magic regained their composure.

The win marks the first time the Magic have won consecutive games with less than a week in between contests since before Christmas. Orlando had won two straight on the bookends of the NBA All-Star break.

Monday’s matchup featured the largest crowd in Magic history — 19,598 fans, according to the team. The previous best was 19,587, set on Dec. 29, 2023 vs. New York.

For the Lakers (43-28), the loss is the group’s third straight during its lone trip to Central Florida.

The Magic (34-38) have a quick turnaround when they travel to Charlotte, N.C., on the second night of a back-to-back Tuesday.

What worked

Banchero was aggressive from the jump when he scored all seven of Orlando’s first points before he posted 18 in the first half.

He often drove to the rim where he either finished in the paint or got sent to the free throw line, where he shot 10 of 12.

Banchero scored 30-plus points for the third straight game, 14th time this season and 31 times in his young career. He racked seven boards in 40 minutes.

After a quiet first quarter when he only scored two points, Wagner posted 10 in the second quarter and nine more in the third. He added nine assists and five rebounds in 38 minutes.

The star duo had help from second-year pro Anthony Black, who helped space the floor and loosening up the Lakers’ defense with a pair of first-half triples.

Black was aggressive with and without the ball in hands when he helped push the pace for Orlando and score in the paint. He posted 17 points off the bench with a trio of 3-pointers in 30 minutes.

Facing his former team, veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored all of nine points from beyond the arc where he shot 3 of 6 with four rebounds and three assists.

What didn’t

At times throughout the night, the Magic were seemingly chasing Doncic around the the court.

The 5-time All-NBA guard shot 4 of 10 from distance and was responsible for half of LA’s long-range makes.

He, along with the rest of the Lakers, got sent to the free throw line often. Doncic went 10 of 11 from the charity stripe while Los Angeles as a whole finished 22 of 28.

The Magic also turned the ball over nine times which in part turned into 15 Lakers points. And although Orlando scored 44 points in the paint, they allowed 48.

Rookie watch

Tristan da Silva made his lone shot of the evening and only saw 7 minutes of first-half action.

The No. 18 pick recorded a second-quarter steal and took the ball the other direction for a layup in transition. He added one rebound in limited minutes.

Redick’s return

JJ Redick made his first return to Orlando as head coach the Lakers on Monday night.

Redick, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Magic, reflected on his time with the franchise before the game.

“I loved my time here,” he said. “The seven years that I spent here were magical. Anytime I come back to Orlando, I feel a little nostalgic. I met my wife here, got engaged here, and played in the NBA Finals here.

“So, this is a special place for me.”