In the 218 career regular-season games played by Paolo Banchero, there have been just 11 contests where the Magic forward has taken 8 or fewer shots.

The latest such instance came Tuesday night at Portland when Banchero shot 4 for 8 from the floor to end with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 36 minutes.

And yet Orlando beat the Trail Blazers 110-106 to finish 2-2 on a western swing without Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain), Jalen Suggs (left hip bruise) and Tristan da Silva (right shoulder bruise).

In fact, Orlando is 9-2 across the first four years of Banchero’s career when he takes fewer than 9 shots in a game.

So what gives? Wouldn’t Jamahl Mosley‘s squad want one of its top players shooting and scoring more?

Most nights, yes. To be sure, 11 games is an extremely small sample size in the grand scheme of a four-year career.

But the Magic also want to win and so does Banchero, even if that means contributing in ways that don’t show up in a regular boxscore.

“He’s just trying to do whatever it takes to win,” veteran guard Tyus Jones (season-high 16 points) said Tuesday night. “He draws so much attention that it opened up looks for everyone else out there. He could have forced it and gotten to a point where he’s like, ‘I need to take some more shots,’ but he stuck with it. They were trying to take him out of it. He was making plays, drawing two [defenders], kicking, leading to open looks. … And that was huge for us.

“That says a lot about him,” Jones added.

Portland not only searched to take Banchero out of the equation but also Desmond Bane, who through the first half had just 6 points on four shots.

Bane was eventually able to break through to post 17 points after the break and end with a team-high 23. His block on Portland’s Donovan Clingan with 12.2 seconds left, along with a pair of clutch free throws, helped seal the 4-point victory for Orlando.

“It’s tough to get wins on the road,” Bane said. “[The Trail Blazers] are a hungry team trying to find their way, and I’m glad we got out of here with a win.”

Bane wasn’t the only member of the Magic who took advantage of the attention absorbed by Banchero. In fact, all five of Orlando’s starters ended in double figures, including Anthony Black (22 points) and Wendell Carter Jr. (14).

In addition, there were the 9 points scored off the bench by Jonathan Isaac, 8 from rookie Noah Penda and the 4 added from two-way forward Jamal Cain (who made 2 steals).

As the Trail Blazers loaded up defensively on Banchero, Portland forced other members of the Magic to try to win the game, and they did.

Although Banchero ended with just 3 assists, he made the second-most passes on the team (46 behind 65 from Jones) and recorded 8 potential assists (which are passes made to teammates who shoot within a dribble of receiving the ball but miss), according to league-tracking data.

“Paolo’s playing winning basketball,” Mosley said. “And that’s what he knows and what he does. He saw that Anthony Black had it going early. And then Desmond got it going, and then Tyus had it going, and he was just facilitating. Even [when] you’re calling plays for him, and he’s just making the right play, the right pass. … Those are just the big keys of what he continues to do.

“He’s about trying to find a way to win the game,” the Magic coach added. “And that’s what he did.”

The Magic hope to keep finding ways to win games when they return home for a back-to-back at Kia Center later this week. Orlando hosts the Hornets on Friday and the Nuggets the next night.

Orlando also hopes it can get healthier after Suggs and da Silva missed the past four games and Wagner the last six.

Regardless of who returns when, Orlando feels confident that the group that steps on the court can find a way to win any given night as portrayed at Portland.

“Whoever is out there on the floor, you’re asked to play Magic basketball, and that is playing hard, playing together, playing defense, playing for one another,” Mosley said. “That’s what we showed [Tuesday] and this group will continue to show that as we get bodies back, whenever that may be.

“These guys will learn to continue to step into their role, whatever’s asked of them.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic vs. Hornets

When: 7 p.m., Friday, Kia Center

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida