Seeing Zach LaVine convert a second impossible 3-point basket in the final moments, the crowd at the United Center projected themselves into overtime against the Magic. It is there, seven seconds from the end, that Paolo Banchero decided to take responsibility.
“ It was a hard-fought match. They didn’t give up, Zach hit two big 3-point shots to bring them back. After his last shot, I looked at the clock and saw seven seconds. There was plenty of time left. I wanted the ball, I wanted to take the last shot “, sums up the hero of the evening.
The member of “Team USA” reports that during the timeout, Jamahl Mosley designed a system to allow him to be served in the post. His coach trusted him despite his very difficult match. Before money time, Paolo Banchero had only converted one of his nine shot attempts.
No double take
But a penetration, then a 3-point basket two minutes from time allowed him to get back on track. Served in the post and with his back to the basket, the power forward was initially surprised. “ I thought Patrick Williams would be on me, but it was (Alex) Caruso, then I wanted to attack the circle. »
He also didn’t know if the Bulls were going to take him at two. “ So when I got served, I put down that first dribble and they didn’t do it, so I knew I had two or three more dribbles », Continues the Magic player, whom Zach LaVine hesitated to disrupt to avoid leaving Joe Ingles open.
A few dribbles later, Paolo Banchero managed to push past the Chicago defensive specialist: “ I tried to push him back as much as I could and sent a turnaround. » « He didn’t see the circle, he did a complete spin and he still took the shot. It’s impressive », Qualifies Cole Anthony when talking about this shot which bounced several times on the circle.
Alex Caruso may have seen one walking
Difficult to swallow for the Bulls and Alex Caruso who remained in contact, and also seems to think that his opponent stepped on the action. “ I’m not going to say too much, we’ll look at the report from the last two minutes and see what happened with Paolo’s foot movement. But overall, I tried to make it difficult for him. He made a difficult shot », greets the guard dog.
The Magic won their sixth game of the season, synonymous with a positive result, as has been the case since the start. “ I liked the determination of our guys at the end, knowing that we have already experienced this kind of scenario before and that’s why we did exercises in the last two minutes. Was everything perfect? No. But it’s the will of this team. They will find a way. Paolo showed great composure by converting this shot at the end », appreciates Jamahl Mosley.
“ This is the story of the entire season. We played close matches almost every time. We were on the losing side so we’re glad we won this one. », adds his player, author of 17 points (4/12 on shots) and 9 rebounds, before adding: “ We would clearly like to do without this type of situation at the end of the match. But a victory is a victory. We simply learn to win, that’s the current watchword. »
| Paolo Banchero | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | ENT | 72 | 34 | 42.7 | 29.8 | 73.8 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 20.0 |
| 2023-24 | ENT | 10 | 34 | 46.5 | 38.7 | 65.2 | 1.4 | 5.4 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 18.9 |
| Total | 82 | 34 | 43.1 | 30.7 | 72.8 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 19.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
