The Orlando Magic with world champions Franz and Moritz Wagner achieved an important victory in the race for the playoff places in the NBA against the top team from New York. National team captain Dennis Schröder suffered another defeat against Boston with his new club from Brooklyn.
The two Wagner brothers and the Orlando Magic clearly prevailed against the New York Knicks 118:100 on Wednesday evening (February 14, 2024).
Franz 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, is still on course towards the playoffs in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks, who played without the ailing German center Isaiah Hartenstein, are in fourth place in the East and still have the best chance of qualifying directly for the playoffs.
Pack for Schröder and Nets against the Celtics
Qualifying for the post-season will be significantly more difficult for national team captain Dennis Schröder and his new team, the 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, with three wins less than Atlanta in tenth place, which means at least a participation in the play-ins.
The Golden State Warriors with superstar Steph Curry also have to worry about participating in the postseason. The Warriors suffered a 125-130 loss to the LA Clippers and are in 10th place in the West.
Kleber without minutes in Mavs win against Spurs
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.