By Orlando Magic rising star Paolo Banchero had the best game of his young career on Monday, recording the NBA’s first 50-point game this season in a win over the Indiana Pacers.
2022-23 Rookie of the Year Banchero finished with 50 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists while shooting an efficient 61.5% from the floor to propel the Magic to a 119-115 home win over the Pacers.
The 21-year-old’s 37 first-half points tied the Magic’s franchise record for points in a half and matched the points scored by the entire Pacers starting lineup.
The No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Banchero also became the second-youngest player in league history to record a 50-point game, behind only all-time leading scorer LeBron James.
“Man, I’m tired,” Banchero said, per ESPN. “I’m tired as hell, but it was a hell of a game.
“It was just being in the zone. Felt like I was in an open gym, back at home, just working on my game.
“Every shot felt like it was going in and it’s a good feeling when you’ve got a day like that. Not every game is going to be like that, but I’m glad today was.”
Banchero was supported by Magic teammate Jalen Suggs’ 25 points, five rebounds and seven assists as Orlando improved to 3-1 to start the season.
For the Pacers, Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists.
Indiana star Tyrese Halilburton continued to improve after a slow start to the season with 19 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, but the Pacers fell to 1-3.
Defending champ Celtics maintain unbeaten start to the season
The Boston Celtics (4-0) extended their perfect start to the season with a hard-fought 119-108 win at home to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The game was a tense affair until Payton Pritchard hit a long-range buzzer-beater – something fans are becoming accustomed to seeing from the diminutive guard – to extend the Celtics’ lead to eight at the end the third quarter, before the team went on a 7-0 run to start the fourth and put the game to bed.
Pritchard finished with 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting from downtown and was a crucial spark off the bench for the Celtics in an even first half.
Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 30 points for the Celtics, but running mate Jason Tatum struggled with 15 points on 37.5% shooting.
The defeat continues a rough start to the season for the Bucks, who are now 1-3 after losing three straight.
The decision to appoint Doc Rivers as head coach last season after the firing of Adrian Griffin raised plenty of eyebrows that won’t have been lowered by the team’s early performances.
Damian Lillard had a game-high 33 points for the Bucks to go with seven rebounds and seven assists, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
The Phoenix Suns ended the Los Angeles Lakers’ unbeaten start to the season and avenged their opening night defeat with a 109-105 home win.
The Suns trailed by as many as 18 points in the first quarter after a lethargic start, but fought back thanks to a game-high 33 points from Devin Booker and 30 from Kevin Durant.
For the Lakers, Anthony Davis led the way with 29 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, but it was a quiet game for superstar LeBron James, who finished with just 11 points on 21.4% shooting.
The Lakers will be disappointed to have squandered a seven-point lead heading into the fourth, where they were outscored by 11, but it has still been an impressive start to the season for first-year head coach JJ Reddick.
