Timberwolves Run Away from Magic as Banchero Waits for Another Day

The Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 15-point victory over the Orlando Magic. The question is: Will Paolo Banchero's much-anticipated return come Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks?

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) brings the ball up court against Orlando Magic guard Trevelin Queen (12) during the second half at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – Ahead of the Orlando Magic's game with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, Paolo Banchero's upgrade to questionable for the first time in two-plus months brought a buzz to the Kia Center.

But his much-anticipated return will have to wait another day as the Magic star sat out a 34th consecutive game despite going through an intensive pregame routine.

"I think that was just making sure he was available for the long haul," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said postgame. "I think walking into a back-to-back in some cases is a portion of that, but our ability to just keep him healthy for the duration [of the season] more than just try to jump right back in."

With Banchero in street clothes, the Magic lost to the Timberwolves,104-89.

The result dropped the Magic to 22-17. The two teams will meet one other time this season in Minneapolis.

Although the two sides traded runs for the first 28 minutes, Mosley said his team didn't start the game with the energy they needed.

"That first quarter got us. I think there was just a lull to the game," Mosley said. "Back and forth early, we couldn’t put the ball in the hole. ... But like we’ve talked about, we can’t let the offense, shotmaking, or misses impact our defense. I think that was a big portion of the first quarter, just trying to generate that energy with a group of guys."

"I would say that it is collective. We have to do it as a team," said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, speaking on how the Magic can create energy with some key guys out of the lineup. "We don't have guys that are usually our energy guys with us right now.

"Everybody has a say-so; we need to hear it. We feed off each other's energy, so if one person is down or not focused or anything, it tends to linger. So, we try to stay focused and just play."

For every Orlando run, Minnesota quickly answered. After the Magic reduced the deficit to five — 60-55 — just over four minutes into the second half, Minnesota finished the game scoring 54 of the last 88 points. The Timberwolves led by as much as 24.

The Wolves forced 16 Magic turnovers, won the fast-break points battle 14-8, and totaled 20 second-chance points. Orlando shot just 37.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from three.

Goga Bitadze totaled 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Magic. Caleb Houstan (14 points), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (13), Cole Anthony (12) and Jett Howard (10) also finished in double figures.

Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards combined for 44 points, leading a quintet of double-digit scorers for Minnesota. Edwards provided the highlight of the night with his latest poster dunk, detonating on Anthony Black in the middle of the third quarter.

📸 https://t.co/f8QnjVhVvz pic.twitter.com/lVc9D0gvfo

— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2025

Edwards said postgame he felt the energy in the building shift after his dunk.

"That gives us nothing but energy," Edwards said. "You feel like you're at home after you dunk on somebody like that."

On what may be the final night without Banchero, the Magic know the energy his return can provide. But for now ...

"I think our guys will feel this sting right now for what we've done and the way in which we played and be ready to bounce back tomorrow against Milwaukee," Mosley said.

Up Next

The Magic host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night for the second night of a home back-to-back. Tipoff is 7 p.m. ET at the Kia Center.

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