Magic Thump the Raptors

Facing a team in full tank mode, the Magic pulled away 111-96 against the Toronto Raptors. Paolo Banchero scored 29 points and Franz Wagner had 22 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Orlando has won eight of 10.

The Raptors, who lead the NBA in fast-break points after scoring 37 in a loss to the Magic on Friday night, were held to just 16. They went 8 for 31 from 3-point range and committed 18 turnovers.

“Every game is not going to be high-flying,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Our guys are finding ways to win and that’s important in this league. Even when the games aren’t pretty you find ways to win.”

Caleb Houstan made a 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer, pulling the Magic to a 52-47 lead at the break. The Raptors then went without a field goal in the first three and a half minutes of the second half, and the Magic pulled away. Banchero finished with a team-leading point total, and he reached the 20-point plateau for the seventh time in his last nine outings. He’s been stuffing the stat sheet all season, and Sunday’s big performance marked his 23rd game of the season with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Hornets Lose in Philly

The Hornets failed to crack the 100-point mark in a tough 109-98 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tre Mann had 21 points, Davis Bertans had 16 and Miles Bridges added 14 as six players scored in double figures for Charlotte. They have lost nine of 12 overall. The Hornets had trailed for most of the night but took an 89-88 lead after two free throws by Bridges ended an 18-9 run with about five minutes remaining. After that point, they were outscored 21-9.

Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers have struggled to close out games, and the Hornets almost stole one.

“We were right there with three and a half minutes left,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “We had a couple blown sets where we got a little disorganized there, but we got back into the game and I would say that we played well for about 43 minutes. The second quarter, we had a couple minutes there where the ball didn’t hit the paint and we took a couple OK shots and put a lot of pressure on the defense.”

Brandon Miller finished with six points and three fouls in 15 minutes, after being ejected for a flagrant foul on Tyrese Maxey.