Having held on to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference despite not having Paolo Banchero for more than two months, the All-Star is poised to make his return to action this week.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Banchero is expected to be upgraded to questionable on the injury report, with his return likely to happen on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Banchero hasn't appeared in a game since Oct. 30 when he suffered a torn oblique muscle.
The injury halted what was an incredible start to the season for Banchero. He scored 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting in a 102-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls in the game he was injured.
Through the first five games of the season, Banchero averaged 29.0 points on 49.5 percent shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per start. He scored a career-high 50 points in a victory over the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 28.
Banchero was the first Magic player to score at least 50 points in a game since Tracy McGrady in 2004.
When Banchero went down, there was a lot of concern about how the Magic were going to score enough points to keep their head above water until he returned.
Franz Wagner stepped up huge to fill the void with the best stretch of his career immediately after Banchero went down. He averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds in 20 games before suffering his own torn oblique muscle on Dec. 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Magic have put together a respectable 6-7 record in 13 games without Banchero and Wagner, including wins over the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Their 22-16 record overall is fourth in the East, 2.5 games behind the Knicks for the No. 3 seed.
Banchero's return will significantly help an Orlando offense that ranks 26th in rating and 30th in points per game.
Orlando will begin a three-game homestand on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by a Bucks game on Friday and a Sixers game on Sunday.
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