Franz Wagner has secured another convincing pre-season victory with the Orlando Magic. The Berlin-born player once again stood out against the Miami Heat, but was forced off through injury in the third quarter. Tristan da Silva continued his positive run of form.
Just under four minutes after the break, the game was over for Franz Wagner. Following an unsuccessful three-point attempt, the German international felt pain in his right shoulder and was immediately taken off the court. Head coach Sean Sweeney confirmed after the match that Wagner had been experiencing shoulder problems, but was unable to provide an update. Instead, Wagner – along with the equally injured Jase Richardson and Noah Penda – is due to undergo a medical examination shortly.
Prior to this, Wagner had once again put in a strong performance. With eleven points (4/7 FG), six rebounds and six assists, the Berlin native was perhaps even on course for a triple-double – all in just 19 minutes of playing time. Yet even without the forward, the Magic secured the victory. Opponents Miami were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson, whilst the Magic fielded their strongest line-up, with the exception of Anthony Black.
Da Silva still in fine form
Man of the match was Desmond Bane, who scored 23 points by sinking seven of his twelve three-pointers; the top scorer was Paolo Banchero (24, 5/11 FG, 13/16 FT). Tristan da Silva played just under 18 minutes and contributed twelve points (5/9 FG, 2/5 three-pointers) and four rebounds to the victory. In total, seven Magic players scored in double figures, including Jamal Cain (14) and Nikola Vucevic (13, 7 rebounds) coming off the bench.
The Heat put up a valiant fight despite the absences and only began to falter after the break. The starting five played together for 15 minutes, with Andrew Wiggins scoring 13 points. The top scorer, however, was rookie Ryan Conwell; the second-round pick recorded 21 points (9/17 FG) and seven assists and could well be part of the rotation for the season opener.
Both Orlando and Miami will kick off their seasons on Wednesday night. The Magic will host the Atlanta Hawks, whilst the Heat will face the Minnesota Timberwolves.