Evidently, the alarm system at Orlando’s Kia Center did not want to hear any talk about the Magic potentially going to a Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons.

The Houston Rockets are brimming with confidence after avoiding elimination twice with consecutive wins to force Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

Desmond Bane scored 22 points, Franz Wagner had 19 in three quarters and the Orlando Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 94-88 to take a 3-1 series lead, putting the East’s No. 1 seed on the brink of elimination.

Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 25 points, and the Orlando Magic blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before rallying to beat the Detroit Pistons 113-105 for a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Paolo Banchero had 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic to a 112-101 win over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their first-round series.

The Orlando Magic found their winning formula.

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, V.

Wendell Carter Jr. scored 28 points and the Orlando Magic beat Dallas 138-127, overcoming a 51-point showing from rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and handing the Mavericks their 14th consecutive loss at home.

Anthony Black scored 26 points, Desmond Bane added 25 and the Orlando Magic beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-99.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has reaffirmed plans to launch a new league in Europe in partnership with FIBA.

Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 40 points to lead the Knicks past the Orlando Magic 132-120.

Desmond Bane matched his season high with 37 points and the Orlando Magic reached the semifinals of the NBA Cup with a 117-108 win over the Miami Heat.

Franz Wagner fell in love with basketball as a kid in Germany when he went with his older brother, Moritz, to watch an under-19 game in Berlin.

The NBA Cup's point-differential tiebreaker is changing game dynamics.

Franz Wagner scored 21 points and the Orlando Magic snapped a four-game losing streak with a 123-107 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.

Luka Dončić’s 39 points were not enough for Slovenia as it lost 99-91 to Germany in a thrilling EuroBasket quarterfinal.

Elias Valtonen has scored eight points in the final two minutes to help Finland stun Serbia and Nikola Jokic 92-86 in the round of 16 at the EuroBasket tournament.

Paolo Banchero has agreed to the richest contract in Orlando Magic history.

The Orlando Magic are bringing back forward Moritz Wagner on a one-year deal, a person with knowledge of the move said Friday.

Kevin Durant has been traded to Houston.

The Orlando Magic have acquired Desmond Bane from Memphis in a deal that sends Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and draft capital to the Grizzlies.

Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics has won the NBA’s sportsmanship award for the second time, making him the fifth player in league history to win that trophy in multiple years.

Jayson Tatum had 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the Boston Celtics pulled away after Magic star Paolo Banchero went to the bench with five fouls, beating Orlando 120-89 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Franz Wagner scored 32 points, Paolo Banchero added 29 and the Orlando Magic beat Boston 95-93 on Friday night to cut the Celtics’ lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

The Orlando Magic have been here before.

Jaylen Brown had 36 points and 10 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the game after getting a bloody gash to the forehead and finished with 20 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 109-100 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Derrick White scored 30 points, Jayson Tatum had 17 points and finished the game after a scary late fall, and the Boston Celtics rallied in the second half to beat the Orlando Magic 103-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Paolo Banchero scored 24 points, Franz Wagner added 22 and the Orlando Magic stunned Cleveland 108-103 to end the Cavaliers’ winning streak at 16 games.

Stephen Curry scored a season-high 56 points, making 12 3-pointers and outscoring Orlando by himself in the third quarter of another astounding performance, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Magic on Thursday night.

Orlando center Moritz Wagner will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, that news coming to the injury-riddled Magic one day after they pulled off one of the more improbable wins in franchise history.

Thursday had a little of everything in the NBA.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.

Darius Garland scored 25 points, Donovan Mitchell added 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 6-0 with a 120-109 victory over the Orlando Magic, who played their first game without injured star Paolo Banchero.

Guerschon Yabusele scored 17 points and France beat Germany 73-69 to advance to the men’s Olympic basketball gold medal game.

Franz Wagner scored 18 points and Germany overcame a sluggish start to beat Greece 76-63 and advance to the Olympics semifinals for the first time.

Unbeaten at last year’s World Cup on the way to the gold medal.

On Friday, LeBron James will carry the U.S. flag.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that forward Franz Wagner has agreed to the largest contract in Orlando Magic history, a five-year extension that will be worth at least $224 million.

Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points, Caris LeVert added 15 and the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a potentially franchise-shifting loss by rallying for a 106-94 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 7.

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen will miss Game 7 against Orlando with a painful rib injury that sidelined him for the final three games of the series.

Paolo Banchero scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Orlando Magic hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 and force a decisive Game 7 in the their first-round NBA playoff series.

The Orlando Magic desperately want an opportunity to go back on the road.

Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Evan Mobley blocked Franz Wagner’s layup in the final seconds and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived a scare from Orlando, holding off Paolo Banchero and the Magic 104-103 in Game 5.

Franz Wagner had 34 points and 13 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held the Cleveland Cavaliers scoreless for a second-half stretch of almost seven minutes Saturday in a 112-89 victory that tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2.

Coach Jamahl Mosley and the playoff-contending Orlando Magic have agreed on an extension that keeps him under contract through the 2027-28 season.

Franz Wagner scored 28 points, Paolo Banchero added 25 and the Orlando Magic rallied from a 21-point second-quarter deficit to beat Washington 119-109 and hand the Wizards their 16th consecutive loss.

The New York Knicks traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday and got back OG Anunoby, dealing two of their top offensive players but likely getting a boost to their defense.

Playing and coaching in the Basketball World Cup this summer seems as though it helped plenty of people get ready for the NBA season.

German basketball is having a great summer.

There will be no gold medal for the U.S. at this World Cup.

Germany will play the United States in the semifinals of the Basketball World Cup in a rematch of an exhibition matchup from earlier this summer where the Americans needed a big rally to win.

Paolo Banchero says having a healthier roster has been a big reason why the Orlando Magic are winning some games.

Three players were ejected after a fight between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons late in the first half of their game.

Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and Admiral Schofield had 11 of his 13 in the fourth quarter to help the Orlando Magic complete a sweep of consecutive games in Boston with a 95-92 victory on Sunday.

Jalen Suggs nailed a wild 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls 108-107 after blowing a 19-point lead.

Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero will do a periodic diary on his season for The Associated Press.

College basketball season ended almost three months ago, the NBA draft lottery was more than a month ago and the draft itself is later this week.

Franz Wagner made three free throws with 12.2 seconds remaining and dunked on an inbounds play for the final points, leading the Orlando Magic to a 94-90 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 51 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 134-120 on Thursday night end a four-game losing streak.

The Los Angeles Lakers rolled past the Orlando Magic 106-94 for their fifth victory in seven games.

Reggie Jackson hit a step-back jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 106-104 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – UCLA has made more trips to the Final Four than any program but North Carolina. AdThey were clinging to a 50-49 lead when Michigan called a timeout with 19 seconds to go, intending to set up the game's final shot. The buzzer sounded and UCLA began to celebrate, only for the officials to put a half-second back on the clock. They were 3 of 11 beyond the arc, shot 39% overall and couldn't make one at the end. UCLA won a regional semifinal in 2006 and the Bulldogs returned the favor in the 2015 regional semifinals.

The evening's most telling stat was points in the paint: Michigan 50, Florida State 28. Other lowlights for the Seminoles:— 14 turnovers, including 10 in the first half that led to 16 Michigan points. Adding to the trouble, Walker, the team's leading scorer this season, rolled his ankle at the 14-minute mark of the second half. FSU went on a mini-tear when Osborne and Polite made back-to-back 3s to trim Michigan's lead to five early in the second half. Driving the lane and making the extra pass underneath, the Wolverines made 11 of their first 13 shots in the second half.

(AP Photo/AJ Mast)INDIANAPOLIS – It's not that Juwan Howard doesn't love his old friend and mentor, Leonard Hamilton. Howard and Hamilton struck up a strong friendship in 2000, when Howard was wrapping up his time with the Washington Wizards and Hamilton was coaching there. He said even if his late grandmother, Jannie Mae Howard, was alive and playing basketball, "I'd play her 1-on-1. “Johnny is young,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said after the BYU game. He’s improved immensely.”___More AP College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball; and https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – What the Big Ten needed was someone, anyone, to start playing like it came from the Big Ten. AdBut during the 14-1 stretch that opened things up, Michigan did what typical Big Ten teams are supposed to do. Most-telling stat of the night was points off the bench: Michigan 26, LSU 2. His 27 points kept LSU in range in the second half, but Wagner altered his shot underneath at the end of that stretch. Michigan shot 53 percent and made 10 of 25 3-pointers.

– Juwan Howard got the win in his first NCAA Tournament game since taking over at Michigan, guiding Mike Smith and the top-seeded Wolverines to an 82-66 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday. It's his second season in charge, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled last year because of the pandemic. Howard and the Wolverines (21-4) had little trouble with the No 16 seed Texas Southern, but the absence of Livers could lead to adversity down the road. It wasn’t perfect as Texas Southern outscored Michigan 42-30 in the paint and got within 12 late, causing Dickinson to re-enter the game. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member Norfolk State ousted Appalachian State on the same court, marking the first time SWAC and MEAC schools won NCAA Tournament games on the same day.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – All Michigan coach Juwan Howard intended to do, he said, when he started walking toward the baseline during the second half of Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals was question a call. After the game, Howard apologized for his actions — and also placed blame on the other bench. Don’t talk to me ever again,’ Then he charged at me. All I said is, ‘Don’t talk to me, don’t talk to me.’”Maryland scored five points after the fracas to cut the deficit in half. BIG PICTUREMaryland: A strong finish — and Thursday's victory over Michigan State — should be enough to get an NCAA Tournament bid.

Rocket Watts scored 21 points and Aaron Henry had 18 to lead the Spartans in a 70-64 victory over No. The Wolverines (19-3, 14-3) closed the regular season getting routed at home by the Fighting Illini, beating Michigan State handily to clinch the Big Ten title and losing the rematch three days later. They were ready to play today and we weren’t.”AdJoey Hauser scored nine of his 11 points off the bench in the first half as Michigan State led 30-26. SENIOR MOMENTFifth-year senior Joshua Langford, who missed much of the previous two seasons with injury, made a 3-point shot with 49 seconds left to give Michigan State a 64-59 lead. UP NEXTThe Big Ten Tournament begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, where first-seeded Michigan may meet Michigan State for a third time.

2 Michigan wrapped up the Big Ten title with a 69-50 victory over rival Michigan State on Thursday night. The Wolverines won it again in 2014. Aaron Henry scored 14 points for Michigan State (14-11, 8-11), which will finish with a losing conference record for the first time since 1993. Michigan State went 0 for 9 from 3-point range, its first game without a 3 since Nov. 15, 2013 against Columbia, according to Sportradar. MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOFormer Michigan State star Draymond Green made an appearance in a pregame video the Wolverines watched.

Gonzaga continued to hold down the top spot in the Top 25, just as it has all season, receiving 59 of 63 first-place votes among national media members. Illinois climbed one spot to fourth and Iowa gave the Big Ten three teams in the top five. They have a showdown with the Illini on Tuesday night before wrapping up the regular season with a home-and-home series against Michigan State. That’s a big part of what they’re doing.”West Virginia continued its steady climb, up four spots to No. The newcomer Boilermakers and sliding Badgers give the Big Ten six teams in the Top 25, one fewer than the poll-leading Big 12.

They've also won eight straight over Indiana, three in Bloomington, and it didn't take Michigan long to break this one open. AdAljami Durham led Indiana (12-12, 7-10) with 15 points while Race Thompson added 11 points and six rebounds. Michigan made Indiana uncomfortable against full-court pressure, stayed in front of the Hoosiers in half-court defense, and challenged shot after shot. Indiana: The Hoosiers trailed 22-21 with 8:36 left in the first half — and then let another one get away. Indiana: hopes to earn a split in the season series Tuesday at Michigan State.

Dickinson gave Garza fits around the basket, and Franz Wagner scored 21 points to lead No. Michigan answered that with a 14-2 run that took place mostly while Dickinson was on the bench. The 7-foot-1 Dickinson, who like Garza went to high school in the Washington area, blocked Garza's first shot attempt of the game. “I know I’ve got to be better for my team,” Garza said. Michigan: The Wolverines have only one day off before playing at Indiana on Saturday.

Michigan's Franz Wagner had 10 of his 14 points in the second half. But the Badgers shot 7 of 28 in the second half and missed their last 11 3-point attempts. “What we did in the first half is what we wanted to do in the second half,” Ford said. Michigan beat Wisconsin 77-54 on Jan. 12 and became the first team to sweep a regular-season series from the Badgers since 2017-18, when Michigan State and Nebraska both did it. AdWisconsin: The Badgers needed more from their starting five, who combined to score 10 points and shoot 2 of 16 in the second half.

Then, unbelievably, the Wolverines led No. The Wolverines outscored the Badgers 43-6 over a stretch that spanned parts of both halves, and Michigan remained unbeaten with a 77-54 win Tuesday. They have a lot of players and they have playmakers on both ends of the floor," said D'Mitrik Trice, who led Wisconsin with 20 points. Michigan led 26-23 before scoring the last 14 points of the half. Michigan led by 29 against Northwestern before winning by 19.