Orlando Magic All-Star Opens up About Emotional Moment vs Pistons

Paolo Banchero speaks on his game winning shot against Detroit Pistons.

In one of their first games out of the All-Star break, the Detroit Pistons found themselves in a tight matchup against the Orlando Magic. Things did not go their way following some late-game heroic efforts from Paolo Banchero. 

With eight seconds to go in a tie game, Banchero found himself matched up with Pistons big man Jalen Duren. After sizing up his defender, he worked his way to the baseline to get off a mid-range jumper. He managed to get a shot up over an outstretched Duren, and it fell. Banchero's attempt went in with less than a second to go, sealing a win for the Magic. 

Recently, the All-Star forward sat down with Taylor Rooks to discuss this highlight play. He touched on how emotional he was after struggling for a majority of the game. 

"Coach was like 'you taking the last shot.' All this energy that you haven't had, just give me this one shot right here," Banchero said. "It went it and I damn near was almost about to cry right after. It was that emotional." 

Banchero still managed to hit the 20-point mark against the Pistons, but he shot just 37.5% from the field. The Magic star garnered almost a third of his points from the free-throw line, going a perfect six-for-six. 

Unfortunately for the Pistons, they will have to wait some time to get revenge on the Magic. Their meeting in March marked the final game between these two squads this season. Orlando won the season series in a clean sweep, securing victories in all four matchups.