Paolo Banchero, “buzzer” to the millimeter
Game-winning 3-point shots and the Barclays Center are often a matter of millimeters. No one, especially not in Brooklyn, forgot half the overdose Kevin Durantwho thought he offered a win and the Nets qualified against the Bucks during Game 7 of the 2021 Conference Semifinals.
The stakes were lower on Wednesday, but Paolo Banchero was entitled to his moment of glory with a long shot at the buzzer synonymous with Orlando’s win (103-104 after overtime). And this time, a small margin with the bow favored Star Magic.
The Florida team had a scare, however, squandering a 15-point lead to start the fourth quarter and another 10 with less than four minutes to play. The Nets pulled away, great Egor Deminwho thought he had forced a 3-point shot decision with the board to give his team a two-point lead. But these tense scenarios are becoming a habit for the Magic, who now have four wins thanks to last-minute shots this season after two Desmond Bane (against the Blazers and Jazz) and the first Paolo Banchero to beat the Pacers just a week ago.
« We already had a few shots to win” the hero of the evening recalled at the press conference. « When you’re in that situation, and there’s time left on the clock, then there’s always a chance. I think everyone on the bench has that mentality when we’re in those situations. »
On the third attempt
Orlando, however, is enjoying the almost paradoxical success of being one of the league’s best teams in five-point games with less than five minutes to play, with the sixth-best record this season (61.9% win rate, behind the Lakers, Thunder, Pistons, Spurs and Raptors). But also a certain inefficiency with a small 38.9% shooting in these situations, and a tiny 17.2% from 3 points…
The Magic did it three times on Wednesday. The first layup attempt was blocked with 3.6 seconds left, forcing Anthony Black to take a timeout. Then the second opportunity was well used by Michael Porter Jr. to not leave an easy shot, nor the possibility of a basket with a foul.
« The Nets were calm in the final moments knowing they had foul after foul, they failed our first drive Jamahl Mosley admitted at the press conference. But the Magic coach also felt that this system made it possible to find Paolo Banchero and urged his players to start again with the exact same set-up. ” Paolo read the game well » analyzed the coach of Florida. ” He decided to move away and managed to land one hell of a punch. »
« I just knew I had two seconds » recalled Paolo Banchero, the author of his fifth winning goal in his career. ” That’s enough for me to dribble, find my shooting position, get up and shoot well. It felt good as soon as the ball left my hands. I was happy to see him come in. When you look at the clock and see that there are about three seconds left, you know there’s always an opportunity. These are difficult moments when Yegor Demin takes this video and the audience goes wild. It’s easy to get carried away with it. You have to go back to the bench, you still believe that you can win this match. You have to calm down, take a breath, get back on the court and try to win the game. »
https://vvv.youtube.com/vatch?v=0U1cSime0BI
It’s over, and this win comes at the right time for an inconsistent Orlando team, not helped by frequent absences of key players. A day after the infamous loss to the Wizards, a setback against the Nets, another team at the bottom of the standings, would be a stain on a Top 4 contender in the East.
« I was extremely happy that the recording took place Jamahl Mosley concluded with relief. ” It’s very important for Paolo, for the whole team, to recover after back-to-back games where we didn’t play our best basketball last night. But we fought as we had to. »
« The main thing is to winPaolo Banchero insisted. “We brought the game a little closer than we would have liked. But walking away with the win is what matters. »
The next goal, to not have to go through these tense endings of meetings anymore, and to try to regain regularity. Over the last 11 games, the Magic have consistently alternated between wins and losses, while teams like the Celtics or Raptors have continued to move up in the standings. Orlando will lean on its schedule for the coming weeks with five home games out of the next six to continue the streak.
| Paolo Banchero | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | The team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | That | Pd | Ft | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | ORL | 72 | 11:45 p.m | 42.7 | 29.8 | 73.8 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 20.0 |
| 2023-24 | ORL | 80 | 34:59 | 45.5 | 33.9 | 72.5 | 1.0 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 5.4 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 22.6 |
| 2024-25 | ORL | 46 | 34:23 | 45.2 | 32.0 | 72.7 | 1.1 | 6.4 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 25.9 |
| 2025-26 | ORL | 28 | 33:24 | 45.9 | 26.5 | 74.7 | 0.9 | 7.7 | 8.6 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 21.1 |
How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.
2026-01-08 09:57:00
