NBA stars Paolo Banchero, Jalen Johnson have to be seperated after tense end to Hawks-Magic appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks needed only one game to give their NBA Southeast Division matchup some fresh bad blood. As the final seconds ticked off the Hawks’ 132-125 win over the Magic in the season opener on Wednesday night at Kia Center, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Johnson got into a heated exchange.
The two forwards traded words at the buzzer, and teammates and staffers had to step in to separate them.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Johnson had some words for each other at the end of the Magic-Hawks game 👀
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 22, 2026
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It is not clear exactly what set things off. Larry Brown Sports pointed to a battle for a rebound in the closing moments as a possible spark. There was no immediate word on whether the league would review the incident.
The tension made sense given how competitive the night was. Both former Duke standouts were at their best on opening night.
Banchero did everything he could to drag Orlando to a win, finishing with 35 points on 10-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds and 10 assists. Johnson countered with 20 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta.
The game swung back and forth. Orlando led 33-28 after one quarter before the Hawks took a 72-62 lead into halftime. The Magic stormed back in the third, outscoring Atlanta 20-7 at the free-throw line in the period, and back-to-back three-point plays from Goga Bitadze and Banchero helped Orlando grab a 100-99 lead heading into the fourth.
A key moment came with 4:27 left, when Johnson was called for an offensive foul that would have been his sixth. Atlanta challenged, and the call was overturned after a lengthy review, keeping Johnson on the floor.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker then took over. He drilled two three-pointers in the final two minutes, pushing a 122-121 lead to 128-123, and finished with 31 points. Dyson Daniels added 20 points and five steals, while CJ McCollum chipped in 19.
Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner each scored 22 for Orlando, and Desmond Bane added 18. The loss spoiled the debut of first-year Magic head coach Sean Sweeney and extended Atlanta’s winning streak over Orlando to six games.
Given how the night ended, the next meeting between these two NBA division rivals should have plenty of extra juice.
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