Paolo Banchero returns to Magic lineup after missing 34 games with torn oblique, scores 34 in loss

Paolo Banchero missed 34 games, then came back and scored 34 points.

The Orlando forward — back in the lineup for the first time in almost 2 1/2 months while recovering from a torn oblique muscle — gave his team a chance on Friday night, but the Magic fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 109-106.

“I didn't see that one coming, I can tell you that,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “But that's who he is. The kid's been working his tail off to get back in. And so, what he was able to do with poise, taking the right shots at the right time, defending, taking matchups on, this tells you how much he wants to go get it and get after it. That's who he is. He's a star for a reason.”

Banchero was 11 for 21 from the field, plus added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in 27 minutes.

“I had a lot of fun,” said Banchero, an All-Star for the first time last season. “I feel all right. Little sore. I think I performed pretty good.”

He said the long recovery time following his Oct. 30 injury in a game against Chicago tested his patience, but he looked back to normal on Friday.

“I don't think I’ve been in bad spirits at all,” Banchero said in an interview with The Associated Press regarding his return. “But it is frustrating. You know, I’ve never missed this much time since I started playing basketball. Going so long without playing, I mean, I was so ready for the season and then going down so early into it just makes you ask ‘why?’ sometimes.”

He got hurt in the fifth game of the year. The Magic played their 40th on Friday, one shy of the season's midway point.

They did better than most probably expected during Banchero's absence.

The Magic — who have been dealing with a slew of other injuries, Franz Wagner's torn oblique and Moritz Wagner's season-ending torn ACL among them — entered Friday in the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference. They lost their first four without Banchero, then went 19-11 during the remainder of his absence. The Bucks leapfrogged the Magic for the No. 4 spot with Friday's win, sending Orlando to No. 5 in the East.

“There's a team-wide belief in each other that anyone can step up at any moment,” Banchero said. “Guys put in the work just to be ready for the moment. And you've seen that with different guys stepping up every night. It was just really encouraging for me to see us respond like that. Guys getting this experience, coming through in tight games, close games against good teams, that's only going to make us better.”

Banchero didn't take time away from the team with his injury. He sat in on coaches' meetings at times and was always on the bench with teammates for games, cheering at times and consoling at others.

“I had to try to find the positives,” Banchero said. “I’ve been able to sit and watch and just learn the game through a different lens. But I, for sure, have a chip on my shoulder now. Feels like some stuff I had was taken from me for a little bit. And now that I'm back, I might have to make up for lost time.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) makes a shot over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, center, goes after a loose ball in front of Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) and forward Taurean Prince (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks to pass the ball as Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) reacts after making shot against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers could have outside linebacker T.J. Watt back for their “win or go home” showdown with Baltimore for the AFC North title on Sunday night.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he's “more optimistic” than he has been that the perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher will be available after sitting out each of the past three games while recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung sustained following a dry needling treatment.

Tomlin added he'd like to see Watt practice fully at some point this week. Watt was a limited participant last week before being held out of Sunday's 13-6 loss to Cleveland, a setback that cost the Steelers (9-7) a chance to wrap up the division with a week to go.

Now, Pittsburgh either needs to win or tie the Ravens (8-8) on Sunday night to win the AFC North for the first time since 2020.

Tomlin doesn't think Watt's extended downtime will have a significant impact on the 31-year-old Watt's stamina, should he be cleared to play.

“I doubt that TJ is ever out of football shape or conditioning over the course of a 12-month calendar,” Tomlin said. “I just know how he lives his life and how he prepares and how thoughtful he is in terms of what he puts in his body and how we trains.”

While Watt's familiar No. 90 could return, massive tight end Darnell Washington is out indefinitely after having surgery on Monday for a broken arm suffered in the first half against the Browns. Tomlin did not rule out Washington's potential availability should Pittsburgh advance to the playoffs, though the Steelers would likely need to make a deep run to have any chance of seeing the uniquely talented 6-foot-7, 300-plus-pound Washington in the huddle.

Wide receiver Calvin Austin III (hamstring), veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo (triceps), cornerback Brandon Echols (groin) and cornerback James Pierre (calf) — all of whom sat out last week — could return against the Ravens.

The Steelers will need as many healthy bodies available as possible, particularly on offense, to avoid a stunning late collapse. Pittsburgh sputtered in Cleveland without suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf, who will also sit out this week as punishment for making contact with a fan in Detroit earlier this month.

Pittsburgh managed just 160 net yards passing against the Browns, a big chunk of it coming on a last-second drive that ended with Aaron Rodgers throwing incomplete in the end zone to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on three consecutive plays.

Rodgers had perhaps his best game of the season in Pittsburgh's road win at Baltimore on Dec. 7, thanks in large part to a seven-catch, 148-yard performance from Metcalf. Downfield shots were nowhere to be found on a blustery day in Cleveland, where Rodgers' longest completion was a 29-yarder to tight end Pat Freiermuth.

While Tomlin allowed both teams will add a “wrinkle” or two in the rematch, the reality is scheme is unlikely to play a significant role in a series that has produced its fair share of memorable high-stakes meetings through the years.

The stakes should keep the Steelers from having a hangover after letting the lowly Browns jump to an early 10-point lead before holding on.

Asked if it was frustrating to lose to a team that came in with just three wins on the season with so much on the line, Tomlin shrugged.

“Man, there’s a lot of things that you could get frustrated about in our business,” he said. “I’ve learned to kind of always move forward. My windshield is much bigger than my rearview.”

Maybe, but there's a chance the game could also be the 264th and final regular-season game of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' Hall of Fame-caliber career. The 42-year-old four-time MVP said over the summer that his 21st season could be his last, though he also said last week he feels as if he's aging backward and has been relatively healthy save for a broken left wrist that forced him to sit out a loss to Chicago in late November.

Rodgers said on Sunday that he expects Pittsburgh to recover and beat the Ravens. That inherent confidence is one of the reasons the Steelers spent months courting him in free agency last spring.

“That’s one of the things that made him really attractive to us, that ‘can do’ attitude and the experience and resume that goes with it,” Tomlin said. “I don’t think it’s work for him. I think it is as natural as breathing. And so if he’s breathing, I expect to see that from him as we lean in on this game."

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)