Basket Ball / Sports

NBA Draft 2022: Magic taking Paolo Banchero at No. 1 fooled the league and gives us chaos for years to come

Remember how this was supposed to go?

1. Jabari Smith Jr.
2. Chet Holmgren
3. Paolo Banchero
4. Jaden Ivey

That’s what most mocks were telling you as of early Thursday evening, mere minutes before the 2022 NBA Draft got underway. Despite the fact that — as we previously laid out right here — the debate over who should go No. 1 was as compelling as we’d seen in years. That concept wound up proving true. Somehow.

Orlando, what have you done?

Made claim to one of the boldest 11th hour, 59th minute gambits in NBA Draft history, that’s what.

Ever since the night of the lottery, May 17, it seemed all the momentum was behind the idea that the Magic were going to go with convention and take Smith at No. 1. Oklahoma City was correspondingly rumored from the jump to be enamored with Holmgren. That, naturally, would leave Houston with the obvious choice of taking who was left of the big three — selecting Banchero third.

The Kings, who are undergoing the worst playoff drought of any pro sports franchise, surely would have to take the best player available at No. 4, right? Ivey. It would have to be him.

Then the betting markets went wild earlier in the week. Banchero moved from +1400 all the way to +175 (still behind Smith) to go No. 1. Subsequent reporting tried to extinguish that rumor.

Then, shortly before 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night, it all got blown to shreds. Chaos. The forecast was not reality. This is reality.

Banchero first to the Magic.

Holmgren second to the Thunder.

Smith — somehow! — goes third to the Rockets.

Keegan Murray — hello! — fourth to the Kings.

And then Ivey, who may well prove to be the best player in this draft 10 years from now, Ivey fell into the lap of the Detroit Pistons.

In what could prove to be one of the most talented drafts in recent history, Orlando and Sacramento — two franchises that …

Basket Ball / Sports

Bey scores career-high 51 points, Pistons beat Magic 134-120

Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 51 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 134-120 on Thursday night to end a four-game losing streak.

Bey tied the franchise record with 10 3-pointers in 14 attempts. He was 17 for 27 overall.

Two nights after being torched for 16 points in the first quarter by Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving on his way to a 60-point game, the Magic gave up 21 points in the first quarter to Bey.

“I saw those highlights and it was just very efficient. It was within the flow of the game,” Bey said. “That was a great performance to watch, and I think just throughout the NBA there’s been a lot of great performances in the past two weeks. I’m just grateful to be in this league to have the opportunity.”

Marvin Bagley III added 20 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit in the matchup of the bottom two teams in the Eastern Conference. Franz Wagner led Orlando with 26 points.

“Rebuilding is always ugly,” Detroit coach Dwane Casey said, “but there’s a lot of beautiful moments like tonight.”

Bey finished the first half in spectacular fashion, scoring five points in less than five seconds. He hit a 20-footer while falling out of bounds with 8.8 seconds left, came up with a back-court steal and made a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left, leaving the Pistons with a 73-62 lead.

“He had 30 points at half so we were definitely expecting 50,” said Pistons center Isaiah Stewart, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The Magic scored the first nine points of the game, but that lead was quickly erased by Bey. The Pistons moved ahead for keeps on a dunk by Stewart that broke a 50-50 tie midway through the second quarter.

“I think it was just the flow of the game,” Bey said. “I didn’t come into the game saying this is what I’m going to do, but you catch a rhythm and you get in a zone. My teammates did a great job of …