Detroit, MI
Beede’s Breakdown: How Magic found way to win at Detroit behind Banchero’s late-game heroics
If there’s one thing that’s clear about Paolo Banchero, it’s that he’ll find a way to win no matter the circumstances.
He reminded the Magic fanbase of just that Saturday night at Detroit when he drilled an 18-foot step back jump shot from the left side in the closing seconds and converted a free throw to lift Orlando (32-25) to victory 112-109 on the road.
Battling an illness as of late, Banchero clearly wasn’t himself throughout the night but that didn’t slow him down when it mattered the most.
While it was Banchero who hit the game winner, it took a group effort for the Magic to clinch the regular-season series over the Pistons (8-48) in the 3-point win that moved Orlando into sixth place in the East, above the mark for the Play-In Tournament.
Playing on the first night of back-to-back, Orlando had eight players score in double figures at Detroit, which tied the franchise record.
The Magic have a quick turnaround when they wrap up their 3-game road trip at Atlanta (24-32) on Sunday (Bally Sports Florida, 7).
Starting 5
For the second straight game, Mosley opened with Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. against the Pistons.
That’s because the Magic were without Markelle Fultz (left knee injury maintenance) for a third consecutive contest.
In a balanced offensive attack that included scoring in the paint and from beyond the arc, all five starters finished in double-figures.
It was the backcourt of Suggs (2 of 3) and Harris (4 of 5) that offered efficient shooting from 3-point range while Banchero, Wagner and Carter pushed their way to the basket and got to the free throw line. The trio accounted for 10 of Orlando’s 14 made shots at the charity stripe.
Carter (11 points and 10 rebounds) notched a double-double while helping spread the floor with a pair of triples.
Second Unit
In a change from the last two games, Mosley used three big men and turned towards Goga Bitadze four minutes into the opening quarter.
Bitadze played all eight of his minutes in the first frame and offered Orlando more size near the rim. Despite limited minutes, Bitadze made the most of the early opportunity by recording 3 blocks, 2 offensive rebounds and 2 assists with 2 points on 1 of 3 shooting.
After Bitadze didn’t return to the floor, Mosley relied on his usual second unit for the remainder of the game with rookie Anthony Black, Cole Anthony, Joe Ingles, Jonathan Isaac and Moe Wagner coming off the bench.
Isaac made an impact on both ends with 12 points (2 of 2 from 3) to go with 6 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.
Although Anthony was inefficient (5 of 11 from the floor), he provided Orlando’s second unit scoring when it was needed by creating something out of nothing at times to finish with 13 points.
He added a team-high 7 assists, a handful of which led to points from Moe Wagner. The Magic reserve center led the bench with 14 points and 7 rebounds in only 17 minutes.
Rookie Watch
Black hit a corner 3 early in the second quarter and finished with 5 points in 22 minutes.
Finishing with Orlando’s best plus-minus (plus-8), the No. 6 overall pick offered Orlando reliable defense and used his length to his advantage to record a block, a steal and 2 rebounds.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
Detroit, MI
RECAP: Detroit’s lack of execution results in 5-2 loss at Carolina | Detroit Red Wings
RALEIGH, N.C. – Wrapping up the February portion of their 2025-26 regular-season schedule, the Detroit Red Wings unfortunately spent most of their Saturday night playing catch-up in an eventual 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
“They’re a heck of a team,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “This is a hard building to play in…They’re the class of the East, and you got to come in here at some point and get points. I just didn’t think we executed. We allowed them to be on top of us and come back in waves on Talbs.”
Goalie Cam Talbot made 30 saves in his first start since Jan. 22 for the Red Wings (34-20-6; 74 points), who moved to 11-5-2 on the road since Dec. 6. Meanwhile, turning aside 27 shots netminder Frederik Andersen helped the Hurricanes (38-15-6; 82 points) win their fifth straight game and extend their point streak to 12.
“We’re leaving without points, so that’s real disappointing,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said. “I thought that the game was real fast to begin with. There was a lot of pace going both ways. It was a good game for us to play in. A lot of their offensive opportunities came off of basically our tape…[Carolina] really took advantage of our mistakes.”
Detroit held steady against Carolina’s characteristically heavy, initial 10-minute push in the opening frame, but the leaders of the Metropolitan Division went up 1-0 when Taylor Hall blocked Simon Edvinsson’s shot attempt in their defensive zone and proceeded to score on a breakaway at 14:05. Then with eight seconds left in the period, while the hosts were on the man advantage, Sebastian Aho’s shot from the left face-off circle deflected off Edvinsson’s stick down low and into the back of the net to extend their lead to 2-0.
“They come out flying and shoot a lot of pucks,” Larkin said. “You can’t really pay attention to the shot clock because they fire it from everywhere, but I liked our start. It’s just that we had some times where we didn’t execute, and they score with eight seconds left. That’s a tough one, but we responded well. We won the second period.”
The Hurricanes struck again just 2:52 into that second period, as Eric Robinson jammed a wrist shot from the top of the crease to push ahead 3-0. But in a span of just 47 seconds late in the stanza, the Red Wings beat Andersen twice to put the hosts on their heels and make it a one-goal game going into the second intermission.
Detroit, MI
Teenager injured in shooting near Detroit school, police say
A teenage male is recovering and police are investigating after a shooting near a school on the east side of Detroit on Friday night.
According to police, the incident happened at 8:28 p.m. on the 3400 block of St. Aubin Street, the same area where the Detroit Edison Public School Academy’s Early College of Excellence is located.
Officials said an altercation ensued inside a building on the block and continued outside. An individual then fired shots that struck the male, whose age has yet to be disclosed, according to police. He was taken to the hospital where he was in stable condition on Saturday.
According to The Detroit News, the altercation was a fight that broke out during Detroit Edison’s boys basketball game against Detroit University Prep.
As of Saturday afternoon, police haven’t shared whether any arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Duluth Police Department at 313-596-5740 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587.
Detroit, MI
Preview: February 28 vs. Detroit | Carolina Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes will try to extend their point streak to a dozen games on Saturday, when they go head-to-head with the Detroit Red Wings.
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When: Saturday, February 28
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network App | Learn More
Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App
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Canes Record: 37-15-6 (80 Points, 1st – Metropolitan Division)
Canes Last Game: 5-4 Win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Feb. 26
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Red Wings Record: 34-19-6 (74 Points, T-2nd – Atlantic Division)
Red Wings Last Game: 2-1 Win (OT) over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, Feb. 26
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