Wagner and Orlando stay on course (NIC ANTAYA)
Basketball world champion Franz Wagner has taken an important step with the Orlando Magic in the fight for the play-offs in the NBA. The team from Florida clearly won 118:100 against the top team New York Knicks without the ailing German center Isaiah Hartenstein.
Wagner scored 21 points and six assists, while his brother Moritz Wagner scored ten strong points in 13 minutes off the bench. Orlando, which was also able to rely on the strong Paolo Banchero and his 36 points, consolidated its midfield position in the Eastern Conference and is still within striking distance of sixth place, which guarantees direct play-off participation.
Qualifying for the post-season will be significantly more difficult for national team captain Dennis Schröder and his new team Brooklyn Nets. Just one day after the defeat at home against the Boston Celtics, the Nets also lost away against the record champions.
Schröder, who moved to Brooklyn from the Toronto Raptors the previous week, remained largely pale in the 86:136 pack and had four points and one assist. Brooklyn is stuck in eleventh place in the East.
Meanwhile, Maximilian Kleber remained unused in the Dallas Mavericks’ 116:93 win against the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavs’ top players Luka Doncic (27 points) and Kyrie Irving (34) secured an easy victory against the team of the French super talent Victor Wembanyama, who scored 26 points.
Thanks to a strong final quarter, the Los Angeles Clippers celebrated a hard-fought 130-125 win against superstar Stephen Curry, who scored 42 points, and the Golden State Warriors. World champion Daniel Theis was on the bench but also did not play.
2024-02-15 05:23:44
#NBA #Important #victory #Wagner #brothers
