ORLANDO, Fla. — Magic forward Paolo Banchero did not get a great present on his 23rd birthday on Wednesday.
He will miss Orlando’s NBA Cup game against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night with a strained left groin, according to the team.
It is unclear how long he will be out. The team will continue to evaluate the injury, and his return date will depend upon how he responds to treatment, the Magic said in a post on the team’s website.
Banchero left the floor nearly seven minutes into the second quarter of Orlando’s 124-107 victory against the Knicks in New York on Wednesday night with Orlando leading 41-30 and did not return.
The 2023 All-Star is averaging 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the Magic’s first 12 games this season.
A magnetic resonance imaging Thursday confirmed the groin strain, according to the Magic.
He was injured five games into last season with a torn right oblique muscle and missed 34 games.