The Orlando Magic around Franz and Moritz Wagner fought their way to their ninth win in a row against the Washington Wizards. “It’s not easy to collect victories in this league,” emphasized Moritz after Franz became the game’s top scorer with 31 points.
Orlando Magic (14-5) – Washington Wizards (3-16) 130:125 (BOXSCORE)
Orlando could hardly have done without one of Franz Wagner’s 31 points, which reinforced Moritz’s statement: Even a game against a supposedly weak team like Washington is rarely easy, even though Orlando went into the game as the clear favorite. The Wizards started off hot with 7/9 triples and led by as many as nine points in the first quarter before an evenly contested exchange of blows developed.
Orlando seemed to take control of the game in the third quarter with a 10-0 run by Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero, which also saw Kyle Kuzma and Daniel Gafford commit their fourth fouls on the other side. However, Washington did not let itself be shaken off yet, after a 7-0 run in the middle of the final period, Orlando was only able to take the narrow lead to the finish line.
For the Magic, this marked the fourth nine-win series in franchise history; Orlando, along with Indiana, is the only team that has never been in double digits. This can change against the Nets on Sunday night, but the Magic also suffered their last defeat before the current series against Brooklyn (104:124) on November 14th.
“This is something very special,” said Banchero, who had a strong performance with 28 points (11/20 FG, 3/4 3P), 13 rebounds and 7 assists: “I think a defeat will come, but we want to keep it up as long as it lasts. We’re not surprised by this series, we have great chemistry and play very well together.”
Moritz Wagner: “We have been working on this for three years”
Kuzma (27 points), who was able to watch the Magic twice in a row, also recognized this. “Look at Franz and Paolo,” said the 28-year-old after the game: “They can dominate the game with their size and strength, they are constantly moving towards the basket. They are a problem.” Franz made 14 free throws (12 hits) on the way to 31 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. For him it was the third game in a row with at least 30 points.
Moritz contributed 18 points (8/13 FG) and 4 offensive rebounds in just under 23 minutes off the bench placed the current successes in a larger context: “Sometimes you work very hard and it doesn’t pay off straight away. Many of us have been working for this for three years and we have to appreciate that now. The mood in the team hasn’t changed with the results.”
Orlando hit almost 52 percent of its field throws, Jalen Suggs (15, 5/9 FG) and sixth man Joe Ingles (14, 7 assists) still had double digits. Jonathan Isaac had to leave the game early after seven minutes of action due to a sprained left ankle. In addition to Kuzma, Gafford also had a good game for the Wizards with 18 points (7/10 FG) and 11 rebounds, Jordan Poole (14) only hit 3/12 from the field.
NBA – Magic vs. Wizards: Die Stats-Leader der Partie
2023-12-02 05:00:00
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