**Published** October 31, 2025 11:43am
Oct 27, 2025; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) reacts with center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) after a score against the Philadelphia 76ers. (Photo: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images/REUTERS)
Franz Wagner scored 21 points while Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black each added 20 points as the Orlando Magic earned to their first road win of the season, a 123-107 decision over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
Orlando, which snapped a four-game overall losing streak, shot 51.7% from the field and made 16 3-pointers. The Magic, who lost their first two road games, went on a big run after most of a 16-point lead disappeared in the second half.
Tristan da Silva added 19 points off the bench, and he was one of four Orlando players with three 3-point baskets.
Collin Sexton led the Hornets with 19 points off the bench, while Ryan Kalkbrenner and LaMelo Ball each scored 17 points and Miles Bridges added 16. Charlotte was coming off a 1-2 road trip but couldn't replicate the success it had last week in its home opener.
Moussa Diabate notched 10 points for the Hornets, who shot 50.6% from the field. They went only 11 of 30 from beyond the arc. Ball dished out 13 assists, while Bridges hit four threes.
Charlotte was hurt by Orlando's improved defense, which benefited from the Hornets' 21 turnovers.
Banchero shot 8-for-12 from the field, Black was 8-for-13 and Wagner went 8-for-16.
The Hornets closed within 88-85 with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. However, da Silva scored the final four points of the period at the free-throw line.
Then the Magic started the fourth quarter by scoring the next nine points, creating a 13-0 run. Soon, the lead expanded to 107-87 on a Banchero 3-pointer.
Orlando had a strong start to the game as well, leading 24-11 in the first 10 minutes and then taking a 71-58 lead into halftime by shooting 55.6% from the field. Wagner scored 18 points in the first half, and Black added 16 before the break.
It was further evidence that Charlotte's recent defensive issues hadn't been fixed. The Hornets were overwhelmed 144-117 two nights earlier in Miami, and signs of that reappeared when the Magic scored 38 points in the first quarter.
**\--Field Level Media/Reuters**