The Orlando Magic will go for their third win in a row when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
Orlando is coming off a 117-110 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday evening, which followed a road victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. The Magic are looking for their first three-game winning streak since stacking up nine wins in a row from Nov. 15-Dec. 1.
Paolo Banchero scored 35 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in Orlando’s most recent victory. Teammate Caleb Houstan scored 25 points, and Jalen Suggs finished with 16.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Banchero was a leader on and off the court.
The next test for Banchero and the Magic will come against the Timberwolves, who hope to bounce back from a 115-108 loss on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. Minnesota was led by Anthony Edwards, who scored 36 points on 14-for-27 shooting.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points on 8-for-16 shooting for the Timberwolves. He finished with seven rebounds, while Rudy Gobert had a game-high 17.
Edwards leads Minnesota this season with 26.8 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent shooting from 3-point range. Towns is next with 21.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Banchero leads the Magic with 23.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Franz Wagner is averaging 20.9 points per contest, and Cole Anthony ranks third in scoring with 14.3 points per game.
This is the first of two meetings this season between Minnesota and Orlando. The teams also are scheduled to meet Feb. 2 at Minnesota.
Timberwolves veteran Mike Conley said he and his teammates sense a bright future for the rest of the season. Minnesota has won 25 of its first 35 games.
