The Orlando Magic have lost again after six consecutive wins. Star player Franz Wagner rarely stood out at the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers, but the pressing problem is a different one.
The good news first: Orlando fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The defeat took place in Los Angeles. The Magic’s outstanding winning streak at home of seven games this season or even 14 games across both seasons remained untouched.
The bad news: On the road, however, the team around the Wagner brothers Franz and Moritz is not doing well at all. In Los Angeles, they already suffered their seventh defeat in eight games on the road.
The game was still close until half-time. The lead changed hands six times between the two teams. However, the home side managed to pull ahead in the third quarter, shooting an incredible 50 percent from beyond the arc (11/22). James Harden impressed with 24 points (eleven free throws), seven rebounds and five assists.
The Orlando Magic, on the other hand, shot the opposite way. Of the 35 attempts from behind the three-point line, only nine went through the hoop, for a meager 23 percent success rate. Franz Wagner was emblematic of this problem (0/4), and long-range specialist Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also went cold (0/4 3PT) in the evening.
Wagner’s little brother at least did better in the paint (5/7 FG), but took significantly fewer shots overall than in previous games. He finished with 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Brother Moritz and rookie Tristan da Silva each added ten points.