Orlando Magic star forward Paolo Banchero is expected to return to action in one of Orlando's back-to-back home games Thursday against

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Orlando Magic star forward Paolo Banchero is expected to be available for Friday's home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The All-Star

The Orlando Magic will square off against the New York Knicks on Monday in a pivotal matchup between two competitive Eastern Conference teams.

If Toronto’s rebuild is going to succeed, the Raptors could learn a lot from Orlando. Consider what the Magic have endured this season: they lost their top scorer, Paolo Banchero, just five games into the year, and when they began to find a rhythm without him, their second-leading scorer, Franz Wagner, also went down with an injury.

The Orlando Magic's well-documented injury woes should be eased in a big way on Friday when the team is expected to get All-Star Paolo Banchero ... first topping the Toronto Raptors by 24 points ...

• Boucher and Jamal Shead have provided real pop for the Raptors off the bench the last two games. Shead had 8 big points as the Raptors risked falling out of the game late in the third quarter — a midrange jumper, a corner 3 and a driving layup, plus the foul. Shead finished with 10 points and five assists.

Orlando Magic star Power Forward Paolo Banchero is set to return to action in one of the Magic’s back-to-back home games on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves or Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks,

Magic star Paolo Banchero is expected to return to action at home against Milwaukee on Friday, sources told ESPN.

Head coach Jamahl Mosley will once again have a depleted roster for the matchup against the Jazz, as three key starters have been ruled out. Paolo Banchero, who was diagnosed with a torn right oblique in late October last year, remains out but is making progress toward a return.

Even as the Raptors raced to the bottom of the standings to start the year, with Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley out of the lineups for large portions of the season, they managed to stay in games into the fourth quarter — an overtime loss in Boston,