Daniel Theis transfers within the NBA and debuts directly, Franz Wagner is once again the match winner for the Orlando Magic, the Toronto Raptors’ weak phase around Dennis Schröder continues – the NBA on Saturday morning
The most important news of the evening first: World champion Daniel Theis has found a new club in the NBA. The Salzgitter-born center will now play for the Los Angeles Clippers. The club announced the news on Friday and Theis celebrated his debut just a few hours later. He played a total of ten minutes from the bench in the 106:100 win over the Houston Rockets, although his lack of rhythm was noticeable. Theis only made one of his four shots from the field and missed two free throws.
Theis has gone through a difficult phase with the Indiana Pacers, where the 31-year-old has not played a role this season and has only made one appearance this season. Theis could prove to be a stroke of luck for the Clippers, as the club was looking for a suitable replacement for Mason Plumlee, who will miss a few weeks due to a knee injury.
This is Theis’ fifth stint in the NBA – in addition to the Pacers, he has also played for the Boston Celtics, the Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls.
Franz Wagner excels in the defensive battle
Chicago is the key word: In a true defensive battle, the Orlando Magic bagged their next victory – 103:97 at the end of a wild exchange of blows. Franz Wagner was once again the top scorer and decisive factor for the Magic. The 22-year-old scored 21 points and also collected four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Franz Wagner also scored the decisive points in the away win when the Berlin world champion drew a foul against Nikola Vucevic on a lay-up with 20 seconds remaining. His brother Moritz Wagner added ten points, four rebounds and three assists. It was Orlando’s seventh win of the season in its twelfth game.
Top scorers Zach LaVine (34 points) and DeMar DeRozan (23) stood out in Chicago, which was precariously weak before the break, especially in the final two quarters.
Nonetheless, Dennis Schröder had another disappointing evening: The national player was on target, but his Toronto Raptors lost 105:108 to the Boston Celtics despite a comeback. The final score was synonymous with their third defeat in the last four games.
At least it wasn’t down to Schröder, who was the game’s top scorer with 23 points, while the World Championship MVP also had seven rebounds and six assists.
Only Wembanyama swims free
Two more special numbers of the evening: Top talent Victor Wembanyama played his way out of his personal slump with 27 points – but he was unable to stop his San Antonio Spurs’ ongoing losing streak. The 120:129 loss against the Sacramento Kings was the seventh defeat in a row. The Spurs thus bowed out of the in-season tournament early.
Elsewhere, superstar LeBron James recorded a season-high: The 38-year-old scored a whopping 35 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 107:95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
