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Paolo Banchero’s return couldn’t have come at a better time for the Orlando Magic, who have lost 11 of their last 18 games after a torrid stretch in November.

The third-year star couldn’t quite get Orlando over the hump in Friday’s 109-106 loss to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, but the silver lining was that he was in peak form despite missing two-plus months with an oblique tear.

Banchero and the Magic will try to avoid a three-game losing streak when they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

Banchero, the 2022 No. 1 overall pick, scored 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting – including five 3-pointers — and grabbed seven rebounds on Friday, looking every bit like the All-Star he was last season.

“I didn’t see that (performance) coming, I can tell you that,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year. “But that’s who he is. I mean, the kid’s been working his tail off to get back in. What he was able to do with poise, taking the right shots, the right time, defending, taking matchups on. Again, this tells you how much he wants to go get it and get after it. That’s who he is.

“I mean, he’s a star for a reason. Coming back and getting 34, 7, and 3 (assists) is not a bad night for your first time back in over two months.”

Banchero is averaging a team-high 29.8 points per game, though he is not eligible to officially stake that claim having played just six games. Franz Wagner leads the Magic with 24.4 ppg while also dishing out a team-high 5.7 assists per game but remains out with a torn oblique.

The 76ers are amid a nightmare season themselves, as they sit six games below .500 after a 3-14 start. It’s a far cry from where they expected to be when they acquired nine-time All-Star Paul George over the summer.

George hasn’t exactly lived up to the billing in Philadelphia. He is averaging 16.5 ppg, which would be his lowest total across a full season since 2012-13.

The elephant in the room regarding the 76ers’ slow start is the frequent unavailability of star center Joel Embiid. The former MVP has played in just 13 games and has missed the last three with a foot injury suffered in a Jan. 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Embiid is questionable for Sunday.

The Sixers are coming off a 123-115 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, another mark in the loss column without Embiid. For coach Nick Nurse, the main goal is simply figuring out what Philadelphia has.

“At the start of all this, even before Joel’s injury, I was telling you guys that I’m in super evaluation mode,” Nurse said. “I want to see who can execute when we’re going to need to execute when we get our people back. I’m still doing that. I think I’m scrutinizing things pretty hard here, right? So that’s the positive side of it. I’m learning a lot right now.”

Tyrese Maxey has emerged as the 76ers’ primary offensive option, averaging a team-high 25.7 ppg and 5.9 apg. Embiid trails just behind Maxey at 24.4 points in addition to 7.9 rebounds per game.

–Field Level Media