Indiana
Paolo Banchero Scores 50, Orlando Magic Rally to Beat Indiana Pacers
ORLANDO – The first half of Monday night’s Indiana Pacers-Orlando Magic games was the Paolo Banchero show.
The Magic led 71-59, with Banchero doing a lot of everything: 37 points (tying a club record), plus seven rebounds and six assists. The NBA world was abuzz.
Then the Pacers upended the narrative in the third quarter, outscoring the Magic 39-22 and taking a five-point lead. Orlando was on the brink of squandering an all-time performance by its 21-year-old star.
But the Magic rediscovered their defensive identity down the stretch, holding Indiana to three points in the final four minutes, and got big shots from Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black to secure their third victory in four starts: Magic 119, Pacers 115.
“This entire group, it was just grit,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Guys went down, the next man stepped up. No matter what it was, these guys found a way to step in, step up. That’s why you’re proud of a group that understands the importance of these moments and these possessions.”
“One of our staples is grit,” said Jalen Suggs, whose 25 points and six three-pointers complemented Banchero’s dominance. “It’s what the ‘G’ stands for in Magic.”
But attention must be paid to Banchero’s historic night. At 21 years and 351 days old, he became the 2nd-youngest player (LeBron James, 20 years-80 days in 2005) in NBA history with 50+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a game. And the Magic needed every single point. As a plus, Banchero added 13 rebounds and nine assists. It’s plausible to think that he left a few more points at the foul line, too; he missed seven free throws.
“I just wanted to come in with an aggressive mindset and I wanted to start getting to the rim to start the game,” Banchero said. “It just felt good. I was playing confident. Honestly, I didn’t even know how much I had in the first half. I was just out there hooping.”
“It was one of those games when you’re watching and coaching, but you’re sitting there just enjoying his process and watching a great player perform,” Mosley said. “He was an artist out there.”
But just as important as his offense were his contributions on defense. When Franz Wagner left after 11 minutes due to illness, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam became Banchero’s assignment.
In the fourth quarter, when Orlando’s defense went into lockdown, Siakam made just two of seven shots. The Magic held the Pacers to 17 points in the final 12 minutes — just enough runway for the home team to claw back ahead and stay there as the Kia Center crowd roared in approval.
Then, with the game tied at 115, Anthony Black found the ball swinging to him in the corner, and he calmly drilled what was eventually the game-winning three. He scored eight crucial points for the Magic, but none were bigger than those three points. Wendell Carter Jr. posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Moritz Wagner had 14 points off the Magic’s bench.
“I think it just shows us taking another step forward,” Black said. “We’re a young team … so it could be easy to just crumble in those types of situations.”
Last season, the Magic won 21 of 35 “clutch” games — which the NBA defines as any game within five points with under five minutes to go in regulation). Monday night’s thriller makes Orlando 1-0 in the clutch this year.
The Magic set off on a five-game road trip, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 30 vs. the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Follow ‘Orlando Magic on SI‘ on Facebook and like our page. Follow Magic beat reporter Mason Williams on Twitter/X @mvsonwilliams. Also, bookmark our homepage so you never miss a story.
Indiana basketball practice observations from June 25: Freshmen mixing in
IU has a game-changer, Thursday’s practice open to the media showed. IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman explains what he saw.
BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.
That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.
Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”
A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.
He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.
“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”
Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.
That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.
It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”
Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”
As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.
“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
-
Los Angeles, Ca38 minutes agoWatch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
-
Detroit, MI58 minutes agoMetro Detroit weather forecast, June 26, 2026 — 4 p.m. Update
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoNewlyweds celebrate Pride-themed weddings inside SF City Hall as parade preparations underway
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoAll Dallas restaurants firing up specials for July 4th and America’s 250th
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoHelping Venezuela: State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoPhotos: Norway takes on France in high-powered World Cup matchup in Foxborough – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoDenver Transplant Games sets Guinness World Record for mos living donors, recipients in one place at one time
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoHow to watch Egypt vs. Iran World Cup match in Seattle
