Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero likened his 50-point explosion against the visiting Indiana Pacers on Monday to a practice session. Orlando will hope he maintains that level of comfort as they start a five-game road trip against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Banchero’s career night, where he matched a club record with 37 points in one half, led the Magic to a 119-115 victory.
Banchero, who also recorded 13 rebounds and nine assists, nearly achieved a triple-double. With forward Franz Wagner limited to just 11 minutes due to an undisclosed illness, Jalen Suggs stepped up, scoring 25 points, including six three-pointers where he started 5-for-5.
Orlando enters the game with a five-game winning streak against the Bulls and has won seven of their last 10 meetings overall.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are coming off a thrilling 126-123 comeback win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Down by as many as 20 points, Chicago used a 33-23 fourth-quarter surge to secure the victory, their second road win in three attempts this season.
The Bulls breathed a sigh of relief when Memphis’ Desmond Bane missed a long-range shot in the final seconds. Bane was 6-for-10 from three-point range, but his teammates collectively shot just 8-for-33. In contrast, the Bulls made 25 of 53 three-point attempts, with three players hitting at least four treys. Monday’s 25 makes tied a franchise record.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 30 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, hitting five of 12 from long range. Coby White also made five threes, while Nikola Vucevic added four.
Lonzo Ball, recovering from a knee injury, has seen resilience from the Bulls in the early going, a trend they’ll look to continue on Wednesday against the Magic.
