The Orlando Magic around the German basketball world champions Franz and Moritz Wagner lost the decisive seventh game and were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The team from Florida lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 94:106 (53:43) on Sunday (May 5th, 2024) despite having a clear lead at the time. The Cavaliers’ best thrower was Donovan Mitchell with 39 points.
Franz Wagner with catastrophe quota
Franz Wagner had a completely wasted day and only hit one of his 15 throws from the field. The 22-year-old winger had six points, six rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes of playing time.
His older brother Moritz only played for twelve minutes and scored three points. A strong performance from teammate Paolo Banchero (38 points) wasn’t enough for the Magic.
Cleveland will face the Boston Celtics in the second round. The title favorites won their first round series 4-1 against last year’s finalists Miami Heat.
Denver Nuggets start with a home loss
Defending champion Denver Nuggets had previously started the NBA conference semifinals with a home defeat. The outstanding player for the Minnesota Timberwolves was Anthony Edwards.
Denver conceded 99:106 in their own hall on Saturday (May 4th, 2024, local time). Edwards scored a new career high with 43 points.
Conference, semifinals arrow right
Superstar Nikola Jokic had 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets in the first game of the best-of-seven series.
Jokic praises Edwards: “He can do everything on the floor”
“My teammates trust me in critical moments of the game in every position. I try to be there for them,” said Edwards, who converted a strong 17 of his 29 shots from the field. The 22-year-old Edwards is a “special player,” praised the Serb Jokic: “He can do everything on the floor. You have to respect him for how good and talented he is.”
The series continues on Monday (local time) in Denver.
