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.