Green's hot night not enough for Hornets

• Josh Green had 16 points, including two threes, for the Charlotte Hornets
• 17 points from Josh Giddey was not enough for the Bulls to avoid consecutive losses to Detroit
• Dante Exum missed Dallas' win over Golden State with an achilles injury

Paolo Banchero's 24-point performance led the Orlando Magic to a dominant 102-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets at the Amway Center despite 16 points from Australian Josh Green.

Green went 7-from-12 from the field and 2-from-5 from the three-point line but it was Orlando, who asserted their dominance early, jumping out to a 28-20 lead after the first quarter. Charlotte managed to narrow the gap in the second period, outscoring Orlando 26-16 to take a slim 46-44 lead into halftime. However, the Magic came out of the break reinvigorated, exploding for 33 points in the third quarter while holding the Hornets to just 19.

The turning point came midway through the third quarter when Anthony Black sparked a 15-4 run for Orlando with his energy on both ends of the floor, including a spectacular block and transition three-pointer, igniting the home crowd and gave the Magic a commanding 77-60 lead with 2:40 remaining in the period.

Banchero continued his impressive season after returning from injury, leading all scorers with 24 points on an efficient 8-20 shooting, including four three-pointers as the young forward showcased his all-around game, adding eight rebounds and six assists to his stat line. Banchero's ability to create for himself and his teammates proved crucial in breaking down Charlotte's defence.

Franz Wagner provided strong support to Banchero, contributing 16 points and seven rebounds. The German forward's cutting and off-ball movement kept the Hornets' defence off-balance throughout the game with Black, who is in his rookie season, making a significant impact off the bench with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in just 24 minutes of play.

For the Hornets, Miles Bridges led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds, but struggled with his efficiency, shooting just 6-23 from the field.

The Magic's superior depth was evident in their bench production, outscoring Charlotte's reserves 46-36 and Orlando's defence was particularly impressive, holding the Hornets to just 39.5% shooting from the field and forcing 12 turnovers. The Magic's rim protection was a key factor, with the team recording nine blocks to Charlotte's four.

On the boards, Orlando dominated with a 52-43 rebounding advantage, led by Wendell Carter Jr.'s 11 rebounds off the bench.

With this victory, Orlando improved to 27-29, remaining in eight spot in the Eastern Conference while the loss dropped Charlotte to 13-39, further cementing their position towards the bottom of the standings and likely shifting their focus towards the draft lottery.

Atlanta Hawks @ New York Knicks

Dyson Daniels had another impressive game as the Hawks almost stole the win from the Knicks, who led by six points with under 30 seconds left in the contest.

New York faltered down the stretch, allowing Atlanta to send the game to overtime, but Georges Niang missed a game-winning three-pointer for the Knicks to close out a 149-148 victory.

Daniels had 23 points on top of four rebounds, four assists and four steals in 36 minutes to play a major role for the Hawks.

Indiana Pacers @ Washington Wizards

Despite the game going into overtime, Aussie rookie Johnny Furphy still hit the court for the Pacers, playing 6:46 and grabbing two rebounds and blocking two shots in Indiana's 134-130 road win over the Wizards.

Obi Toppin led the scoring for the Pacers with 31 points and 10 rebounds while Jordan Poole had 42 for Washington.

Indiana maintain their position in fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Toronto Raptors

Toronto kicking it back to the old school with the Raptors Vince Carter era jerseys couldn't help them get a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who continue to solidify themselves as a championship contender with a 131-108 road win.

Aussie two-way player Luke Travers played 3:30 for Cleveland, grabbing three rebounds, while seven players scored in double figures for the Cavaliers to record a 23-point victory.

RJ Barrett led the scoring for Toronto with 27 points.

Miami Heat @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Aussie rookie Alex Ducas had a DNP-Coach's Decision as the Oklahoma City Thunder fought off a tough Miami Heat to record a 115-101 win at home.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again top scored for the Thunder with 32 points. Bam Adebayo had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Miami.

Milwaukee Bucks @ Minnesota Timberwolves

A double-double from new recruit Kyle Kuzma has helped the Milwaukee Bucks, who were without stars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to a 103-101 road win over Minnesota.

Aussie veteran Joe Ingles played 13:54 and had three points, four rebounds and four assists for the Timberwolves with Anthony Edwards leading the home side with 28 points.

Gary Trent Jr also had 21 points for the Bucks.

Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls

A 17-point performance from Australian star guard Josh Giddey wasn't enough for the Bulls to answer back from a drubbing at the hands of the Pistons the night before as the Pistons recorded back-to-back wins over Chicago with a 128-110 victory at the United Center.

Giddey went 4-8 from the field, along with 3-4 from the three-point line, but Detroit were too strong - once again led by All-Star Cade Cunningham who had 29 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Pistons.

Portland Trailblazers @ Denver Nuggets

Aussie big man Duop Reath was a DNP-Coach's Decision as Portland were once again beaten by Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 132-21 at Ball Arena.

Jokic had another triple-double for Denver with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists but it was Jamal Murray who stole the show with 55 points.

Anfernee Simons led the scoring for Portland with 26 points.

Golden State Warriors @ Dallas Mavericks

Aussie guard Dante Exum missed an important win for the Mavericks with an achilles injury as Dallas overcame the absence of several key stars, including Anthony Davis, to beat the Warriors 111-107 at home.

Kyrie Irving was dominant for the Mavericks with 42 points while Klay Thompson and former Laker Max Christie both contributed 17 points each.

Steph Curry had 25 points for the Warriors, who lost their first game with Jimmy Butler.

Memphis Grizzlies @ Los Angeles Clippers

Ben Simmons did not make his debut for the Clippers after signing with Los Angeles following a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets but his new team were still able to record a 128-114 win over the Grizzlies at Intuit Dome.

Kawhi Leonard had 23 points for the Clippers and James Harden almost recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Desmond Bane led the scoring for Memphis with 23 points.

Aussie guard Patty Mills played 2:38 and recorded one assist.