Orlando Magic Will Miss Star Player vs Detroit Pistons

The Orlando Magic will remain down a star player against the Pistons on Saturday.

Feb 4, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots on Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

As the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic gear up for a Saturday night matchup, both teams will be short on star power for the evening.

On Detroit’s side, their star guard Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a left sacroiliac joint sprain. As the Pistons battled with the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night, Cunningham took a hard fall which forced him to exit the game late in the fourth quarter.

The Pistons forced overtime after forming a comeback, and Cunningham was ruled out for the additional minutes. After the game, Cunningham noted he was fine, but that didn’t mean he was set to play in Orlando. The star guard will miss his first action of the season on Saturday.

Cade Cunningham (pelvis) listed out for Saturday.

— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) November 22, 2024

As for the Magic, they’ll continue to roll without their star forward, Paolo Banchero. Dealing with a right oblique tear, Banchero hasn’t seen the court in quite some time.

The last time Banchero played was on October 30 against the Chicago Bulls. At the time, Banchero checked in for 37 minutes. He made 54 percent of his shots to score 31 points. He had another big night after scoring 50 points against the Indiana Pacers just one night prior.

In the five-game stretch he played this year, Banchero was off to another All-Star caliber start. He produced 29 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field. Along with his scoring, Banchero averaged six assists and nine rebounds.

Banchero has missed Orlando’s last 12 games. Although he’s been absent, the team has found plenty of success without him.

Orlando has won seven of its last eight games, all without injured star Paolo Banchero. These are Franz Wagner's stats over that stretch:
28.1 points/game
6.0 rebounds/game
6.9 assists/game
2.1 steals/game
1.5 turnovers/game
47.4 FG%
35.0 3P%
89.4 FT%

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) November 22, 2024

For a ten-day stretch, Orlando didn’t lose a game. They fired off six straight victories before finally falling short against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 20.

The Magic bounced back against the Los Angeles Clippers the following night.

After returning from their West Coast trip, the Magic will host the Pistons, who are coming in off of two-straight losses. At this stage in the season, the Pistons are 7-10. They’ll see if they can take advantage of a Banchero-less Magic team.