Franz Wagner delivered an impressive performance with 28 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, leading the Orlando Magic to a 127-119 victory over the Washington Wizards. Rookie Anthony Black also shone brightly, scoring an NBA career-high 23 points.
Black focused on his role in the team’s success, emphasizing his growing comfort and contribution to the Magic’s wins. Despite a slow start, Paolo Banchero ended up with 24 points and eight assists, and Jalen Suggs scored 11 points on his return from a wrist injury. Despite a recent absence, magic coach Jamahl Mosley praised Suggs for his solid play and conditioning.
“We’re playing good ball right now, and I’m just trying to focus on that, honestly,” Black said. “It’s going to come game-by-game, getting more comfortable. So I’m just trying to keep doing things that’s helping us win.”
The Wizards, led by Jordan Poole’s 30 points and Tyus Jones’ 22 points, have faced difficulties lately, losing four of their last five games. Despite a strong effort from Washington’s bench and Corey Kispert’s 15 first-half points, the Wizards struggled to maintain pace with the Magic.
“He looked good. His conditioning was on point, he was out there defending the right way, crawling into the basketball, trying to do a lot of the right things,” Mosley said of Suggs. “Having a couple of games off, there wasn’t as much rust as we’d thought there’d be.”
Orlando led throughout the game, with their advantage reaching nine points several times in the third quarter. Despite a significant rally by Washington in the fourth quarter, reducing a 17-point deficit to just four, the Wizards couldn’t overcome the Magic’s lead.
Wagner attributed the Magic’s success to the team’s unity and ability to regroup when challenged. The Magic dominated in the paint, scoring 70 points, and forced 21 turnovers from the Wizards.
“It’s the togetherness that we have, our poise, our communication,” Wagner said. “We have guys that like playing with each other and for each other and I think that shows in the last couple of minutes when stuff isn’t going our way that we come together and kind of find our groove again.”
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. acknowledged the need to address turnovers and transition opportunities to change the game’s outcome.
“Overall, I think schematically we did the right things,” Unseld said. “Clean up on a couple of those turnovers and some of the transition opportunities and paint points, I think it’s a different ballgame.”
Daniel Gafford contributed with 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, while Kyle Kuzma had an off night despite scoring 17 points, admitting his performance impacted the game’s result.
Looking ahead, the Orlando Magic are set to host the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Washington Wizards will face the Toronto Raptors, both games scheduled for Wednesday night.
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