Things didn’t go well for Franz Wagner at his NBA home game for a long time – but in the final phase, the German basketball star showed how important he is for the Orlando Magic in the 118:111 win in Berlin against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The field was set for a German party in Berlin, after his ankle injury, Wagner was ready for his comeback (last game on December 7th) and started, his brother Moritz and Tristan da Silva came off the bench. And Wagner immediately wanted to take the momentum from his homecoming (he became a professional at Alba Berlin) with him; he moved to the basket several times, but didn’t hit his first throws. Still, the Magic started strong (7-2).
Wagner brothers score for the first time after a weak start quarter
But then they were beaten from a distance. Memphis hit eight of its first twelve three-point attempts and went ahead 30:14. After the first quarter it was 39:23. Orlando defended poorly and the German trio didn’t get into the game at all. Together they remained pointless with a shooting rate of 0 out of 6 and each lost the ball once.
Franz Wagner scored the first two German points at the beginning of the second half, Moritz Wagner followed up with a three – but the weak Magic defense prevented a quick comeback, and Memphis increased the lead to 52:32 a little later. Then Orlando finally caught himself, with two free throws da Silva cut the lead to 42:52. At halftime, the Grizzlies were ahead by nine points (67:58) thanks to an outstanding Jaren Jackson Jr., while Paolo Banchero (18 points) kept the Magic in the game.
Orlando’s Tristan Da Silva dunks the ball into the basket
Magic take the lead after a huge deficit
Franz Wagner opened the second half with a three-pointer, but apart from that he still didn’t play well at all. Desmond Bane brought the Magic within one point a little later and thanks to Anthony Black’s three-pointer they were even ahead again for a short time (71:70). But then Wagner, in particular, made a few mistakes on offense again, so Memphis was able to regain the lead.
The German world and European champion was then substituted, clearing the way for his team’s decisive run – in which Moritz Wagner also played a large part. The 28-year-old scored points in this phase, defended strongly and was an emotional leader. Thanks to 14 points in a row, Orlando turned a 20-point deficit into an eleven-point lead (84:75). By the last break, the Grizzlies had reduced the lead to 79:84.
Franz Wagner was there in the crucial phase
In the last quarter there were signs of a dramatic final phase in the first NBA game of the season on German soil. With six minutes to go it was 100:97 for Orlando, and with 4:29 minutes left to play, the Grizzlies were suddenly ahead again 103:102. But the Magic came back, also because Franz Wagner suddenly turned up the heat. The national player sank a very important shot 62 seconds before the end to make it 114:109 and was celebrated by his colleagues.
Memphis Jaren Jackson Jr. and Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. at the jump ball for the NBA game in Berlin
They also cheered together after the final siren. The Wagner brothers and da Silva didn’t deliver a brilliant performance, but they all had moments in the game in which they were extremely important for their team. Franz Wagner scored 18 points in his comeback, 13 of them in the final period, and grabbed nine rebounds, Moritz Wagner had seven points and four rebounds, while da Silva (eight points) particularly impressed defensively with four steals.