4 Players who stepped up big with the Magic’s season on the line

Going into their first playoff series since the 2019-20 season, the Orlando Magic were the underdogs. The Cavaliers are older, more experienced, have true star power on the roster and are under pressure to finally win a playoff series with their big four of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. 

And yet, the Magic just refuse to go away. It took them two games to get their feet under them, but since then, they have pushed back every time they got a chance. Securing the 103-96 win, the Magic survived elimination and forced Game 7. 

So, let’s look at four Magic players who stepped up big with the team’s season on the line. 

4. Paolo Banchero

After his 39-point performance in Game 5, we expected nothing less than another heroic game from Paolo Banchero. He is, after all, the leader of this young squad and a superstar in the making. 

With how he has played this season, it is easy to forget at times that Banchero is only 21 years old. Asking such a young player to carry a team that is facing elimination from the playoffs is not always fair. This is his first playoff run, and young players tend to make mistakes in those situations. 

Banchero’s play throughout this series has not been flawless, but he delivered with the Magic’s season on the line. Finishing the game with 27 points on 45 percent shooting from the field, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal, he led his team to the win. 

Rather than taking low-percentage threes, he attacked the rim and got to the line, converting 7 of his 10 free-throw attempts. He also took care of the ball in this one. The Magic do not have a true point guard in their starting lineup and Banchero has the ball in his hands a lot. 

In games one and two, he seemed to struggle with that, racking up 9 and 6 turnovers respectively. In Game 5, which the Magic lost by only one point, he had five turnovers. Last night, he managed to keep that number at three, his lowest mark other than the zero turnovers in Game 3. 

Even if the Magic do not win this series, Banchero has proven that he is on the brink of superstardom and that his team deserves more attention. 

3. Franz Wagner 

Every big star in the NBA needs a co-star. For Paolo Banchero, that co-star is Franz Wagner. Most of us already knew this before but the playoffs have only proven it further. Without Wagner, the Magic would not have come as far as they have, and he stepped up once again with the team’s season on the line.

Despite not shooting well from three, Wagner finished the game with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. That scoring output made him and Banchero the youngest duo in league history to each score at least 25 points in an elimination game, according to StatMamba on X. 

The Cavaliers have a pair of talented scorers in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, who combined for 71 points last night, but Wagner and Banchero have shown that they can hang with them. 

As mentioned, Wagner’s outside shot was not falling, but he put pressure on the defense, getting to the line 11 times and making every single shot. On the other end of the floor, he was solid as well, not leaving the Magic’s identity as a two-way team behind. 

Wagner is a future All-Star in this league—he has proven that much already. Now, he has also proven that he can put up big numbers when his team needs it most, and that should be encouraging for Game 7 on Sunday. 

2. Jalen Suggs

If there was an NBA All-Dawg team, Jalen Suggs would be on it. He hustles, plays hard, and is a pain on defense. He usually does all the little things well, but last night he did so much more than that. 

Obviously, he was a menace on defense and chased loose balls and rebounds all over the floor. He also hit 6 three-pointers on his way to 22 points, however. That is the same number of threes Suggs made in the other five games combined. 

Three-point shooting is one of the Magic’s biggest weaknesses, especially with Gary Harris out due to a hamstring injury. Suggs responded to that problem last night, and his offensive production was huge. 

Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell combined for 71 points for the Cavaliers. Other than that, they didn’t get much from anyone else. Meanwhile, the Magic’s big three was in full effect, combining for 75 points. 

Without Suggs’ contribution, the Magic might not have been able to beat the Cavaliers the way they did. As a team, Orlando only made 11 threes. More than half of those came from Suggs. 

Last night, Suggs stepped up with the Magic’s season on the line, but the job is not done yet. Sunday’s game in Cleveland will decide who will move on to the second round and it will be a bloodbath. The Cavaliers desperately need this win. The Magic won’t just give it to them, though. 

To keep their season alive beyond the first round, Suggs will have to put together another big game. So far, he has not shot the ball well in Cleveland, however. 

1. Cole Anthony

Cole Anthony has not had a good first playoff series so far, scoring only a total of 28 points. That drop-off has hurt the Magic. During the regular season, he was a big part of their success, providing energy and scoring off the bench. 

Much like the rest of the team, Anthony is still young, however, and only just playing in his first postseason series. The bright lights have thrown much bigger names off their games. 

Last night, Anthony helped carry his team over the finish line, however, with some timely buckets, including this tough finish.

His stat line of 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal may not stand out, but he picked the right moments to shine in his 19 minutes of playing time. 

Plus, he was the most productive bench player in this game. Coach Jamahl Mosley only played four guys off the bench. Mo Wagner scored 2 points, Markelle Fultz pitched in 6, and Joe Ingles went scoreless. 

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers’ bench of Georges Niang, Isaac Okoro, Tristan Thompson, and Caris LeVert combined for 10 points. Anthony beat that number almost single-handedly and played a lot down the stretch with the Magic’s season on the line. Now, he just needs to bring that same energy to Cleveland for Game 7.