Paolo Banchero on In-Season Tournament: ‘I’m going hard’
With $500,000 on the line for the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is not looking to mess around. Banchero has his eyes on the prize this tournament, and he’s looking to go harder.
Earlier this season, the NBA introduced their newest event to the NBA season: The In-Season tournament. The tournament features six randomly drawn groups of five–three in each conference. Each team plays four games in a round-robin style format based on a win-loss record, then knockout rounds will feature eight teams, six of them coming from the group winners and two “wild cards.”
On top of winning the first-ever NBA Cup, each member of the winning team receives $500,000.
“It has some meaning, I think,” Banchero said, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jonah Morgan. “Shoot, $500,000 is on the line. I don’t know about you, but I’m going hard. … The intensity is elevated naturally just from the court (and) the uniforms. I’m sure the crowd’s gonna be … a little more into it. And then for us, it being our first tournament game, you’ve … seen it on TV and whatnot, so you want to be a part of it.”
The Orlando Magic are 5-5 and lost their first tournament game to the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday. Banchero finished his tournament debut playing 35 minutes and scoring 19 points, shooting 6-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep. He would go on to grab six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block in the 124-104 loss.
Banchero and the Magic look to continue their In-Season tournament play on Friday. The Magic will have back-to-back dates with the Chicago Bulls Wednesday and followed by their second tournament matchup with Chicago on Friday.
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