Franz Wagner and the Orlando Magic have celebrated a statement victory over Los Angeles, beating them 118-106 and pushing Luka Doncic and Co. even deeper into crisis. The German was the outstanding man in the process.
32 points (13/26 FG), five rebounds and nine assists were on the stat sheet for Wagner, making him the game’s top scorer and passer. In the final 5:30 minutes of the game alone, the Berliner scored eight points that ultimately secured the win for his team. The Lakers had previously reduced a 17-point lead to -7, but in the end they didn’t get any closer.
At the end of the second quarter, they led by +9 and seemed to have the game under control. After the break, however, the tide turned and the Magic suddenly played well. Led by Wagner and Paolo Banchero (30 points (9/17 FG), Orlando dominated and took 16 points off the Lakers in the third quarter.
The otherwise weak offense (104.8 points per game, 30th in the league) was unusually consistent. As a team, the Magic made 49.4 percent of their shots, drained 15 of their 40 threes (37.5 percent) and only committed eight turnovers. Important for the success was also Anthony Black from the bench, who contributed a strong 17 points, five rebounds and six assists.
For the Lakers, who have now lost three straight games and seven of their last ten, Doncic was the best player with 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but the Slovenian only scored 9/23 from the field. LeBron James added 24 points and Austin Reaves 17. Overall, the team from Hollywood only managed 31.3 percent shooting from outside, which ultimately made the difference against the strong Magic.
For Orlando, which won at home for the first time in seven games, the action continues tonight against the Charlotte Hornets. L.A. has a day off and then faces the Pacers in Indiana.
