His basket had a liberating effect for the Kia Center. Franz Wagner had just overtaken Evan Mobley to finish with the foul at the basket, left hand. After the first three minutes without scoring, with 9 missed or blocked shots, the Magic had finally unlocked their points counter.
This start to Game 3 against the Cavs may have made the local public fear another complicated offensive evening for their troops, after the first two games ended with only 83, then 86 points. But that feeling quickly evaporated. “ Once a shot goes in, the floodgates open “, summarizes Paolo Banchero.
The floodgates really opened last night, compared to the first two rounds. The Floridians finished the first quarter with 31 points and a 10-unit lead (31-21), before continuing two other quarters with at least 30 points scored.
The confidence of Paolo Banchero
Donovan Mitchell and his gang not being able to keep up the pace at all, the Magic counted up to… 43 points in advance, to end up winning by 38 units on the occasion of their first victory at home in playoffs for over ten years.
“ We must recognize that we are at home, supported by our fans. Starting the playoffs with two away games, in this environment, was difficult for everyone. Being at home helps us calm down », Judge Paolo Banchero, main offensive force of his team.
With his 31 points (13/26 on shots) and 14 rebounds, he became the youngest player since LeBron James in 2006 to post 30 points and 10 rebounds during a finals match. “ I knew I had to stay in attack mode. The difference between being down 2-1 and 3-0 is huge. We know it was a question of life and death », blurted the interior to justify its large volume of shots.
“ We felt he would have a good evening from the start of the match. As soon as he tried his first shot and didn't make it, he didn't hesitate on the next one. This is the sign of a young man who continues to improve and become what he is becoming. He doesn't let success or failure disrupt what he does », greets his coach, Jamahl Mosley.
Do the same thing on Saturday
The interior of the Magic was not the only one to free itself. Jalen Suggs finished with 24 points (9/11 on shots), Franz Wagner at 16 points and the two leaders from the bench, Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony, contributed at least 10 points. The Floridians shot with 51% success all evening, limiting their opponents to only 39%, while winning the all-important rebound battle (51-32).
“ There was a level of confidence that they all had, knowing what was at stake and knowing what they had to do, how they had to fight. When the shots weren't falling, it could have been the same story. But there is confidence in this group », Appreciates the Magic technician.
By winning last night, his group offers itself the opportunity to equalize in a few days, still in front of its audience. “ Nobody is celebrating. We know we have to do the same thing on Saturday. We are obviously proud of tonight's victory. It's important for this group to get their first victory in the playoffs, but we want the complete series », warns Paolo Banchero.
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Paolo Banchero | 80 | 35.0 | 45.5 | 33.9 | 72.5 | 1.0 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 22.6 |
| Franz Wagner | 72 | 32.5 | 48.2 | 28.1 | 85.0 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 19.7 |
| Jalen Suggs | 75 | 27.0 | 47.1 | 39.7 | 75.6 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 12.6 |
| Cole Anthony | 81 | 22.4 | 43.5 | 33.8 | 82.6 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 11.6 |
| Wendell Carter, Jr. | 55 | 25.6 | 52.5 | 37.4 | 69.4 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 6.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 11.0 |
| Moe Wagner | 80 | 17.7 | 60.1 | 33.0 | 81.4 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 10.9 |
| Markelle Fultz | 43 | 21.2 | 47.2 | 22.2 | 69.7 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 7.8 |
| Gary Harris | 54 | 24.0 | 44.1 | 37.1 | 75.6 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| Jonathan Isaac | 58 | 15.8 | 51.0 | 37.5 | 72.0 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 6.8 |
| Goga Bitadze | 62 | 15.4 | 60.3 | 14.3 | 65.5 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 5.0 |
| Anthony Black | 69 | 16.9 | 46.6 | 39.4 | 61.3 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 4.6 |
| Joe Ingles | 68 | 17.2 | 43.6 | 43.5 | 82.4 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.4 |
| Caleb Houstan | 59 | 13.8 | 38.8 | 37.3 | 80.8 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 4.3 |
| Trevelin Queen | 14 | 11.8 | 36.8 | 17.6 | 75.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Chuma Okeke | 47 | 9.2 | 35.7 | 28.0 | 57.1 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.3 |
| Kevin Harris | 2 | 3.0 | 66.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Jett Howard | 18 | 3.7 | 33.3 | 28.0 | 50.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Admiral Schofield | 23 | 3.7 | 38.5 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.1 |
