LAS VEGAS — By halftime of Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal between the Magic and Knicks, Paolo Banchero had only notched 8 points when he shot 3-for-8 from the floor, missing all four of his 3-point attempts.

By the end of the contest?

The Orlando star totaled 25 points, including 9 in the fourth, when he added eight rebounds, three assists and a steal as the Magic fell by 12 to New York, coming up short of a championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It was only Banchero’s fourth game back after he missed 10 because of a left groin strain.

“Coming back from quite some time, taking time to find the rhythm, (he is) just continuing to find that rhythm within the group,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the 132-120 loss. “As we continue to go on, just being able to move his minutes up a little bit more so he can get that rhythm throughout the game.”

To Mosley’s point, Banchero’s time on the court and his points scored have increased in all four contests.

He played 20 minutes in his first game back Dec. 5 vs. Miami, 24 at New York two days later, 32 in last week’s Cup quarterfinal against the Heat and then 35 in Las Vegas. He scored 9 points in the first meeting against the Heat, 16 at Madison Square Garden, 18 against Miami and 25 in the Cup semifinal.

“I’m feeling better every game,” Banchero said. “Not really thinking as much in terms of like thinking about the injury.

“But I’ve been feeling better and better every game,” he added. “Hopefully I can just continue to find my spots out there and continue to play within the team.”

Still, Banchero ended 0-for-7 from distance Saturday vs. the Knicks, and he turned the ball over five times, the most in a game since his return.

Across his first four games back from injury, Banchero has averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 turnovers per contest. In the four games before  getting hurt, he averaged 23.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.3 turnovers per night.

“He’s definitely trending in the right direction,” Desmond Bane said about Banchero. “I like the way that he came back, balancing being aggressive and making plays for his teammates. I thought he’s been doing a whole lot of that and really hustling on the defensive end, rebounding for us.

“Definitely opportunities for us to get creative to allow him to carry us and be himself,” the Magic guard added.

Richardson rising

It doesn’t happen often but when given the chance, Jase Richardson has developed a knack for impacting games when he steps on the floor, even in limited late-game minutes.

That was the case again Saturday against New York when the Magic rookie played the final 7:35 in place of the injured Jalen Suggs and scored 9 points with a pair of triples, two assists and a rebound.

Richardson’s teammates have noticed his play on the court and have preached patience to the 20-year-old guard, who Orlando (15-11) took No. 25 in June’s draft.

“I like him,” Jonathan Isaac said about Richardson in the locker room. “He’s a great young kid. What I see is (that) he has a great head on his shoulders. He’s not too high, not too low, always positive. His time is going to come, you know? It is what it is. He’ll stay with it, but he’s a … his energy effects winning.

“We’ll be OK as we move forward and he may be able to get some more time, but it’ll come.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic at Nuggets

When: 9 p.m., Thursday, Ball Arena

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida