Paolo Banchero imposes his will as Orlando sets franchise record 3-pointer against Kings

The The Orlando Magic issued a statement out of the All-Star break, running away with a 131-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings while setting a franchise record for three-pointers made.

Orlando connected on 27 of his 50 attempts from beyond the arc, showing ball movement, spacing and confidence throughout the night. The leading charge was Paolo Bancherowho imposed his will early and finished with 30 points, six assists, five rebounds, a steal and a block in 32 minutes. He shot 10-for-21 from the field, 5-for-7 from 3-point range and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

After the Banchero match indicated the execution and confidence as key to record-setting performance.

“Yeah, just a good, good way to start this last half of the season after the break and set a three-point record,” Banchero said. “That’s a great sign and yeah, I think we just did a good job, like I said, find the edge and then play from there and find the open man.”

He is credited with the team’s determination from long range.

“I think we just did a good job of getting the defense to react to what we were doing and then that leads to a guy getting open, finding that guy, and then whoever it was – getting into their shot and knocking it down with confidence,” Banchero said. “I thought the guys didn’t hesitate with the three today. When they got open, the guys let it fly, including me, you know, just being confident in the shot, living with the results and they were shooting at a high level today.”

Paolo Banchero’s aggressiveness, defense fuels franchise 3-point night against Kings

Banchero also highlighted his mindset entering the competition.

“I’m just trying to come out, impose my will, be aggressive,” he said. “Like you said, there’s a lot of important games coming up so I think everybody in the team understands that we’re just going out there, doing whatever we have to do to win these games.”

Head coach Jamahl Mosley paired offensive explosion with defensive intensity.

“I really think our defense created some early, easy offensive looks,” Mosley said. “We were able to get downhill, attack the basket, and then we’re able to get spray outs for threes. I thought our guys did a great job of sharing it, moving it, trusting the pass and just trusting their teammates.”

Mosley is credited with the preparation and spacing for the franchise’s turning point.

“I thought it was great,” he said. “I think the guys did a great job yesterday in practice, understanding the shots we’re going to get against this team. Our coaches did a great job of putting these guys in the right situations, the right spaces, and the guys were confident and comfortable when they put their feet down and were ready to make shots.”

The Magic defense extends its streak of steals as the West Coast trip continues

He also praised Buncher’s assertiveness.

“I like how he settled into the game, started being very aggressive early, going downhill, attacking the basket when he was open, getting into shots, finding guys who know how to guard him,” Mosley said. “I thought he did a great job of finding teammates, but overall as a team, I think we did a very good job of trusting our defense to lead our offense, and that’s why the ball bounced the way it did.”

The defensive pressure was evident in the box score. Magic had 13 steals in Sacramento. The team’s PR account shared that it bookmarked fifth consecutive game Orlando recorded at least 10 steals, tied for the third-longest streak in franchise history. The longest streak with 10 or more steals was seven, from January 29 to February 18, 1994.

Activity on that front has helped encourage opportunities in transition and early offense, reinforcing Mosley’s emphasis on defense that creates rhythm and confidence.

With the win, Orlando improved to 29-25, moving within a half game of the Philadelphia 76ers (30-25) for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Magic continues its journey to the West Coast Saturday against the Phoenix Suns (32-24) at 5:00 PM ET on NBA TV.