While Tracy McGrady was the player who scored the most points in the first half in Orlando Magic history until yesterday, Paolo Banchero broke that record with his performance on Monday night, scoring 37 points with a shooting rate of 13 of 17. At the end of this game, Paolo Banchero reached 50 points, the best performance of his career.
Banchero, the 2023 Rookie of the Year and 2024 All-Star, made 13 of 17 shots in the first half against the Pacers, and went 16 of 26 in the game. The 21-year-old forward, who was selected as the first pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, also hit 15 of 22 from the free throw line, grabbed 13 rebounds, had 9 assists and two blocks.
Entering Monday, Banchero’s career-high was 43 points, which he scored in a game against Sacramento on Jan. 3. Last NBA season, there were four players who scored 37 or more points in the first game. part. Two of those performances came from Phoenix’s Devin Booker, one from Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and another from Dallas’ Luka Doncic.