Watch: Franz Wagner's deep three sinks Lakers

Franz Wagner capped a 37-point night by hitting a clutch stepback three-pointer to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 119-118, in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old Wagner added 11 assists and four steals, becoming the youngest forward to record a game with at least 35 points and 10 assists since a guy on the opposing team Thursday night did so in 2007.

The Magic lost the All-Star Banchero to a torn oblique Oct. 30 and proceeded to lose their next four games. Since then, the Magic have won seven of eight games, led by Wagner and his brother, Moritz. The elder Wagner added 19 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench Thursday night, continuing a brothers act that's carried the Magic in November.

With Banchero out, Franz assumed control of the Magic offense and geared up his production. He's averaging 25.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists in November, compared to 17.8, 4.2 and 3.4 in October. Moritz is the Magic's third-leading scorer in November, scoring 13.3 points in just 19.5 minutes per game. It helps to have his brother passing to him.

The Wagner brothers have been a deadly combo in the past. At the FIBA World Cup in 2023, the two helped Germany win gold, combining for 27 points and 11 rebounds in an 83-77 win over Serbia in the title game. Now, they're helping the Magic, a strong defensive team with limited scoring pop, thrive without Banchero and starters Wendell Carter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

One thing the Wagner brothers excel at is free throw shooting. Franz makes 86% of his free throws, and Moritz is at 81%. That was a stark contrast to the Lakers, who saw Anthony Davis miss three free throws in the final minute and LeBron James miss a freebie as well.

Franz Wagner was great last season driving to the hoop, but his shot was unreliable. After shooting threes at a 28.1% rate in 2023-24, he's up to 35% this season, which included three big triples in the fourth quarter. Wagner had 15 points in the fourth and accounted for eight of the Magic's final nine points.

Banchero is aiming for a Christmas Day return, which gives the Magic five more weeks. If he can come back good as new, his injury might be a blessing in disguise for Orlando, which have solid evidence that Franz can be its go-to guy on offense, especially if he has his brother with him. 

The Magic may be severely shorthanded right now, but two Wagners might be all they need.