Orlando Magic PF Paolo Banchero: 'We're Able to Compete With Anybody'
ORLANDO - The mark of a good team doesn't just lie in the wins and losses but in how they respond when adversity strikes.
The Orlando Magic (5-4) has dealt with its fair share of adversity, the latest of which came in the form of a 120-119 loss to the Atlanta Hawks (5-4) in Mexico City at the Arena CDMX on Thursday. Orlando led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter before blowing the lead and missing two potential game-winning shots in the game's waning moments.
When the opportunity knocked for Orlando to get back on track against one of the Eastern Conference's elite teams, the Milwaukee Bucks (6-4) on Saturday, the Magic handled its business with a 112-97 win at the Amway Center.
Even with it being early in the season, Magic second-year forward Paolo Banchero felt like the game against the Bucks was one his team needed to have.
Paolo Banchero scored 26 points in the Magic's win over the Bucks.
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"We dropped one in Mexico, and we feel like we played terrible and we lost by one," Banchero said. "So coming back home, we knew that this was I wouldn't say a must-win, but this was a game that we couldn't play around. We couldn't come out flat. We had to be on 100 from the jump, so that was just our mentality. And I think that we did that [and] beating a team like that, it's a good feeling. We're able to compete with anybody."
Banchero had a double-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Orlando's win over the Bucks. The reigning Rookie of the Year has bounced back from a slow start, averaging 24 points in the Magic's last five games.
For the season, Banchero is averaging 18.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Orlando will look to continue its momentum on Tuesday when they head to the Barclays Center to face the Brooklyn Nets (5-5) at 7:30 p.m. ET in the first in-season tournament game this season.
