Paolo Banchero led the way with 32 points, Wendell Carter Jr. was the game’s top rebounder as part of a double-double and the Orlando Magic scored a key victory in their battle for playoff position with a 117-108 triumph over the host New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
The Wagner brothers combined for 42 points — Franz with 24 in a starting role and Moritz with 18 off the bench — for the Magic (45-31), who won a third straight to move a half-game ahead of the idle New York Knicks (44-31) in their battle for the No. 4 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
CJ McCollum had a season-high 36 points for the Pelicans (45-31), who dropped their third game in a row and into the seventh slot in the West.
Losing for the fourth time in five outings to open a six-game homestand, New Orleans led by as many as seven early on before the visitors dominated most of the second and third quarters.
Moritz Wagner’s personal seven-point run gave Orlando its first lead in the fifth minute of the second period before Banchero scored 10 in the final 5:23 of the half to help the Magic take a 58-55 advantage into the break.
Orlando then gradually pulled away in the third quarter, with Carter and Franz Wagner hitting early 3-pointers to help produce a double-digit lead. The advantage was 91-76 by period’s end and the Magic kept the hosts at arm’s length from there to complete a two-game season-series sweep.
Franz Wagner shot 8-for-14 and brother Moritz was 7-for-9 for the Magic, who outshot the hosts 51.2 percent to 47.4 percent.
Another difference in the game was Orlando’s 39-35 advantage on the backboards, with Carter gathering a game-high 11 to complete a double-double with 14 points and Banchero pulling down six on a night when he recorded his 10th 30-point effort of the season.
Cole Anthony aided the cause off the bench with five points and a game-high six assists.
McCollum’s 36 points were three more than his previous season-high and were largely the result of 5-for-12 shooting on 3-pointers and an 11-for-11 performance at the free-throw line. He also found time to fill out a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds.
Dyson Daniels chipped in with 16 points, Zion Williamson had 15 to go with a team-high five assists, Trey Murphy lII scored 14 and Jonas Valanciunas added 11 for New Orleans, which will play four of its final six games on the road.
–Field Level Media
