ORL • Forward • #5
Both star forwards sat out against Indiana on Friday, and since Sunday’s game won’t have any impact on the standings, it would be quite surprising if either Banchero or Wagner suited up. Tristan da Silva and Caleb Houstan should start in their place once again.
10 days ago
April 12, 2025 7:14 PM
ORL • Center-Forward • #34
2 days ago
Give Carter credit for his work on the boards and for being Kristaps Porzingis’ primary defender for most of Game 1. However, the offensive production was lackluster, a trend that also persisted during the regular season. Carter’s average of 9.1 per game was the lowest of his NBA career; this was the first season in which he failed to average double figures. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner will do most of the heavy lifting offensively, but they’re going to need help in this series. Fellow starters Carter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (6/4/2/3 with two three-pointers) and Cory Joseph (zero points, two assists) combining to score 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting isn’t good enough. Game 2 is on Wednesday night.
ORL • Forward • #22
2 days ago
Wagner did record a complete stat line in Sunday’s series opener, but the efficiency left something to be desired. Worse than the field goal percentage was the fact that he recorded as many turnovers as assists, finishing with five of each. Given the decided disadvantage the Magic are at offensively in this series, they’re going to need a consistently elite Wagner if they’re to have a chance of winning this series. He’ll look to bounce back in Game 2 on Wednesday.
ORL • Forward • #5
2 days ago
Banchero was excellent in Game 1, scoring 19 points in the first half and another 17 after the halftime break. Unfortunately for the Magic, he was the only player who could consistently create opportunities offensively. A difficult matchup for most teams due to his combination of size, athleticism and skill set, this could be a big series for Banchero individually. However, the prevailing question is whether or not Orlando will be able to generate enough offense collectively to have a chance of beating the reigning champions. Game 2 is on Wednesday night.
LAC • Forward • #2
about 18 hours ago
This was an unreal performance from Leonard. He entered halftime with just one brick and didn’t miss his second shot until the fourth quarter. He also ended the first half with a triple at the buzzer to give the Clippers a lead. He scored or assisted on LA’s final seven points, and he had a steal with 37.1 seconds left that helped secure the win. Kawhi played like the player that willed the Raptors to a championship in 2019. Injuries have derailed his tenure with the Clippers, but if he continues to channel the Kawhi of the past, they’ll have a chance to make a run.
DEN • Forward • #1
about 18 hours ago
When asked about how to help Michael Porter Jr. stay engaged after Game 1, Nikola Jokic said, “If you’re not going to be engaged right now, then you’re not supposed to be playing this sport.” Well, MPJ seemed to be more engaged in Game 2, and he ended up making some big plays down the stretch of this game as both a shooter and rebounder. He set a new playoff career-high for rebounds after finishing with just three points and four rebounds in 27 minutes on Saturday. Even though Denver didn’t get the win, MPJ playing better was a positive takeaway. If he keeps this up moving forward, Denver will be tough to beat.
DET • Forward • #12
about 21 hours ago
After scoring 24 points in Game 1, Harris didn’t have as much success as a scorer on Monday. However, he was able to make a big impact on the glass. He was one of three Pistons to grab at least 12 rebounds in a game where they outrebounded the Knicks 48-34. That ended up being a big factor in this game. Harris was ran out of Philadelphia for his poor postseason performances, but his first two games with Detroit have been great. He’ll look to keep it going in Game 3 in Detroit on Thursday.
