Magic beat undermanned Timberwolves for fourth win in a row

ORLANDO, Fla. — Magic coach Jamahl Mosley made it clear at shootaround that he wanted his team to piece together a performance that Orlando fans would enjoy during the final home game of the regular season against the Timberwolves on Wednesday night at Kia Center.

Although the Magic made some miscues on offense and weren’t as sharp as they would have liked to have been on defense, Orlando still took care of business in a 132-120 victory.

Paolo Banchero (20 points), Desmond Bane (18) and Franz Wagner (17) combined for 55 points in Orlando's fourth in a row and sixth in its last eight games.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back after securing a top-six seed in the West on Tuesday, Minnesota (47-33) was without Anthony Edwards (right knee injury maintenance), Rudy Gobert (rest), Mike Conley (rest), Julius Randle (right hand soreness) and Ayo Dosunmu (right calf injury maintenance) against Orlando.

Finishing the regular season with a 25-15 record at home, the Magic (44-36) travel for their final two games of the regular season, starting Friday at Chicago, as they continue to push for postseason positioning.

Banchero buckets

Banchero didn’t waste much time making his mark on the game by make his first three shots from the floor and posting nine points in the opening frame.

Banchero made six of his first eight shots to reach 13 first-half points and added four rebounds and three assists before the break. He continued to make plays for his teammates in the second half, finishing with eight rebounds and six assists.

The performance marked the 25th time this season and 81st time in his career that Banchero has totaled 20-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in a game.

Wagner scare

Wagner scored 11 points in 13 minutes before he went down to the floor two minutes into the third quarter and grabbed at his left knee. Wagner, who has already missed 48 games due to a left high ankle sprain, was able to walk off the court on his own power and head straight to the locker room.

Later in the third, however, he returned to the Orlando bench, rode a stationary bike behind the bench for a few minutes and re-entered the game with 2:44 left in the quarter.

Earlier in the night, Wagner sunk his first 3-pointer since he returned from injury against Atlanta a week ago. In his fourth game back, the German forward continued to play mostly 3-4-minute stints under a minutes restriction.

He finished with 17 points and two assists in 22 minutes.

Bench boost

Magic center Goga Bitadze did most of his damage in the paint by scoring his first 12 points near the basket. It marked his first time reaching double figures since Jan. 11 and just his ninth time this season.

Ending with 14 points in 22 minutes, he added a season-high 15 rebounds.

Second-year forward Tristan da Silva made his first two shots from the floor and reached 12 points in 20 minutes alongside two rebounds and two assists. Jevon Carter (11 points) knocked down three triples in 15 minutes.

For the Timberwolves, Terrence Shannon Jr. led all scorers with 33 points off the bench, shooting 11 for 14 from the floor with five 3-pointers. Orlando’s bench edged Minnesota’s 62-60.

Familiar face

With Minnesota missing multiple rotation players, veteran forward Joe Ingles made his first start of the season.

Ingles played for the Magic during the 2023-24 season and his family, who were in attendance Wednesday night, still live in the area.

In 18 minutes, Ingles totaled seven points, four rebounds and four assists while being embraced by his former teammates and coaches throughout the night.