Paolo Banchero had 34 points and 11 rebounds, Franz Wagner scored 27 and the visiting Orlando Magic routed the New Orleans Pelicans 113-93 on Thursday night.
The Magic, who had lost six of their previous seven games, built a 30-point halftime lead and coasted to their seventh consecutive victory against the Pelicans.
Kentavius Caldwell-Pope and Cory Joseph each scored 12 for the Magic, who shot 51.8 percent from the floor. New Orleans shot 44.3 percent overall and 28 percent on 3-pointers.
Zion Williamson had 20 points and eight boards for New Orleans, while Trey Murphy III added 17 points. Jose Alvarado scored 12, all of which came in the fourth quarter, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Jordan Hawkins added 11 apiece for the Pelicans, who lost at Orlando 115-88 on Nov. 8.
Orlando, which improved to just 11-22 in 2025, led by as many as 36 points in the third quarter. But the Pelicans finished the period with an 18-5 run to outscore the Magic 27-20 in the frame and narrow the gap to 88-65. The closest New Orleans got in the fourth quarter was 95-80.
The Magic, the lowest-scoring team in the NBA (104.3) raced to a 17-6 lead before the game was five minutes old. Most of the points came from close range as Wagner made four layups and Banchero made one.
Orlando expanded the lead to 32-16 before cooling off. Williamson beat the quarter buzzer with a layup that completed a 7-0 run to pull the Pelicans within 32-23 at the end of the period.
Wagner scored seven points and Wendell Carter Jr. added six during a 16-7 run to start the second quarter, pushing the lead to 18 for Orlando. Karlo Matkoviic made a layup for New Orleans, but Joseph and Banchero each made a 3-pointer as the lead swelled 57-33.
After a Matkovic dunk, Banchero and Wagner each sank triples as the Magic went into the half on top 68-38. Banchero (24) and Wagner (20) combined to outscore New Orleans by themselves in the first half.
