It turned out that two great performances are better than one. The Magic's victory once again came down to the young duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Banchero finished with 29 points and six rebounds, while Wagner nearly hit a triple-double with 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

The NBA was set to announce this season's defensive player of the year on Thursday night, with Atlanta's Dyson Daniels, Golden State's Draymond Green and Cleveland's Evan Mobley the three finalists. Green won the award in 2017 and is bidding to become the 11th player in NBA history to win it at least twice.

The Cavs forward was named the NBA's top defensive player in his fourth season in the league. Draymond Green and Dyson Daniels were also finalists.

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Evan Mobley was named the NBA's top defensive player for the first time Thursday, taking home the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year Award. Mobley beat out fellow finalists Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green to win the award.

The Mavs were eliminated from playoff contention after losing their play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, 120-106. The loss put an end to Dallas' campaign, as the Grizzlies secured the No. 8 seed to set up a first-round matchup against the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder.