MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 30 points, Paolo Banchero added 25 points and 15 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic won their third straight game by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-92 on Saturday.
Jalen Suggs added 14 points and Tristan da Silva had 11 points for the Magic, who moved atop the Southeast Division.
Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, including 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, but Minnesota had it's five-game winning streak snapped.
Julius Randle scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, Naz Reid added 13 points off the bench, and Rudy Gobert added 12 points.
Minnesota shot just 35.7% in scoring its second-fewest points of the season. Starters Donte DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels were a combined 0 for 15.
Bane was 10 of 17 from the field and made all 10 free throws for his 11th 30-plus point game of the season. Banchero made 10 of 18 shots.
Jett Howard had five points and Bane, Wendell Carter Jr. and Suggs each added four during a 17-4 Magic run for an 81-61 lead midway through the third quarter.
Edwards had seven points in a 68-second span and Randle followed with a steal and dunk to key a surge to get Minnesota within 90-78 entering the final quarter, but Orlando scored seven of the first eight fourth-quarter points to push the lead back to 18.
Orlando, 5-2 in its past seven games, finished the first half on a 19-2 run, including 14 straight points, for a 60-50 lead.
Magic starting guard Anthony Black, averaging 15.5 points per game, played just two minutes in the first quarter before leaving with a lower back strain. He missed two games with a right quad contusion before returning Thursday.
Magic: At Milwaukee Sunday.
Timberwolves: Begin a four-game road trip on Tuesday at the Los Angeles Lakers.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) reacts toward a referee during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) works toward the basket as Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
