Tag: Franz Wagner

Franz Wagner explodes for 34 points, as Magic tie up series against Cavaliers

Franz Wagner produced a playoff-career-high 34 points on Saturday to lead the Magic to a win over the Cavaliers in Game 4.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Franz Wagner produced a playoff-career-high 34 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 112-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Jonathan Isaac connected on a season-high four 3-pointers off the bench, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Jalen Suggs and Markelle Fultz each scored 12 points and Moe Wagner added seven points and four rebounds.

Franz Wagner added 13 rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot on Saturday, as the Magic tied the series with the Cavaliers at two games apiece. He scored 23 points alone in the second half.

“He was incredible,” his brother, Moe, said. “His awareness and control of the game were just great. He started off great distributing the ball and let the game come to him. He played with great energy and was locking up defensively. I gotta drive home with him, so I want to keep it in check: I’m not going to exaggerate here, but it was one of the best games I’ve seen him play.”

The Magic trailed the Cavaliers by nine points at halftime after allowing them to shoot 56.4% from the field. They were outscored 40-26 in points in the paint and handed the Cavaliers 12 points off of 11 turnovers in the first half.

The team regrouped and went on a run after halftime.

Orlando outscored Cleveland 37-10 in the third quarter to take an 18-point lead into the final frame. The defensive stand continued from there after the Magic limited the Cavaliers to 19 points in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 61-29 advantage in the second half.

The Magic set a franchise playoff record for the most points scored in a third quarter and they also tied another for the fewest points allowed in a second half. The dominant second half gave the Magic consecutive playoff wins for the first time since 2010.

“I thought we played well in the first half, we just had a couple of turnovers,” Franz Wagner said. “I thought it was on the first five to kind of set the tone for the half and be aggressive and make the right plays.”

Said Moe Wagner: “I think we played a great defensive first half as we have been the first three games, as well. We just threw the ball away too much; the turnovers killed us. It is hard to guard the transition offense and win playoff games when you have 11 turnovers. I think we did a great job defensively and we just had to pick it up offensively and we did that.”

The Magic, who were led with 31 points and 14 rebounds from Paolo Banchero in Game 3, had two different players score at least 30 points in consecutive playoff games for the first time since May 19-21, 1996 (Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal).

Franz Wagner became the second-youngest player (22 years, 244 days) in franchise history with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game, trailing only Banchero. Like Banchero, Wagner also finished with no turnovers in 39 minutes.

“They’re extremely special,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “The beauty of two stars that can play off each other and celebrate the other star: That is a beautiful thing. When you can watch that unfold in real time and watch each guy celebrate the man next to him, I thought it was fantastic.”

After losing the first two games in Cleveland, the Magic returned to Orlando and took the next two to even the series. The two wins came after the Cavaliers defeated the Magic by a combined 24 points and held them to 36.2% shooting from the field.

The two teams will now turn to Game 5 on Tuesday in Cleveland. The group that can win two more games will move on to face the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics, and the Magic believe they now have all of the momentum after winning on their home court.

“To go down 0-2 early with them, it kind of put everything on the line for us in Game 3 and again in Game 4,” Isaac said. “I feel like we’re in the best position out of the two teams right now. They’re going home thinking, ‘We have to take care of home court,’ so I think the momentum is in our favor.”

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Magic react to dominating win over Cavaliers in Game 3 of playoffs

After failing to lead in their first two games against the Cavaliers, the Magic cruised to a dominating win in Game 3 on Thursday.

ORLANDO, Fla. — After struggling to make shots in their first two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic knew things would eventually turn in their favor.

It finally happened on Thursday.

Playing behind their home crowd in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, the Magic shook off a slow start and dominated the Cavaliers to take Game 3 and bring their first-round series to 2-1 with a 121-83 victory at the Kia Center.

Paolo Banchero produced a game-high 31 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, Jalen Suggs scored 24 points and Franz Wagner added 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds to lead the Magic to their first home playoff victory since April 26, 2011.

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley knew Banchero was due for a big game.

“We felt it from the beginning of the game, honestly,” Mosley said. “The moment he stepped into his first shot, it didn’t go in; there was no hesitation in his next one. I think that’s a sign of a young man who is continuing to get better and continuing to grow into who he is becoming. He does not let a make or miss rattle what he is doing.”

The Cavaliers didn’t trail against the Magic in the first two games after picking up consecutive wire-to-wire wins in the playoffs for the first time since May 2017. They collectively held the Magic to 36.2% shooting from the field, including 25.7% from 3-point range, in those two games.

Orlando continued its cold streak on Thursday, missing 10 out of its first 11 shots to fall into an early seven-point hole in the first quarter. The group responded and ended the period on a 28-11 run to take a 10-point lead into the second quarter.

From there, the Magic erased any doubt about their shooting woes by  connecting on 51.1% of their attempts from the field, including 35.1% from beyond the arc. They led by 43 points in the second half before the Cavaliers cut the margin of victory to 38 points, the third-largest in Magic playoff history.

“I just knew I was just going to have to stay in attack mode,” Banchero said. “Obviously, the difference being down 2-1 and 3-0 is ginormous, so I knew that this game was kind of a do-or-die game, and I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. I wanted to just go out there and hoop and be aggressive from the start.”

Banchero became the first Magic player to score at least 30 points in the playoffs since Nikola Vucevic on Aug. 24, 2020. He became the first player in franchise history to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in fewer than 30 minutes (29 minutes, 19 seconds).

The first-time All-Star and reigning Rookie of the Year registered his first career playoff double-double on Thursday. He also became the second-youngest player in history to begin his playoff career with three straight 20-point performances (21 years, 165 days).

“The shot-making — that was pretty special,” Wagner said of Banchero. “Some extremely tough shots, some against two defenders. It makes the game pretty easy for the rest of us.”

The Magic, who were outrebounded by 21 over the first two games, held a 51-32 advantage on the glass in Game 3. They hauled 14 rebounds on the offensive end — compared to five for the Cavaliers — and outscored them 22-9 in second-chance points.

Jarrett Allen, who had a playoff-career-high 20 rebounds in Game 2, led the Cavaliers with 15 points, eight rebounds and one block. Caris LeVert scored 15 points off the bench and Donovan Mitchell added 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

The Magic didn’t want to get outrebounded again.

“We knew that was kind of the killer in the first two games,” Banchero said. “We thought we were playing pretty good defense but we’ve been giving up way too many rebounds and getting dominated on the glass. We really wanted to put an emphasis on neutralizing their bigs and keeping them off the boards.”

Orlando will look to keep its momentum heading into Game 4 on Saturday (1 p.m. EDT, TNT). The group understands it can’t get too high off of its win, just like it didn’t get down too low after dropping the first two games of the series.

It appears they will be ready for the challenge.

“(We just have to) stick with it and understand that it is a long game and an even longer series,” Wagner said. “We did our job tonight and we gotta do the same on Saturday and just keep chipping away.”

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Takeaways: Magic stifle Rockets as Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. struggle in opener

It was a rough opening night for Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. as Orlando’s defense suffocated the #Rockets en route to a 116-86 win.

In Wednesday night’s opener from Orlando, the Rockets began their 2023-24 campaign with a disheartening 116-86 loss (box score) to the Magic. It was Houston’s first regular-season game under Ime Udoka, who replaced Stephen Silas as head coach this offseason.

Houston trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half before cutting the margin to a single point early in the third quarter. Then, led by Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony, Orlando broke the game open a second time and never looked back in what became a rout.

Anthony led the Magic in 24 reserve minutes with 20 points and 8 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting (66.7%). Wagner added 17 points in 27 minutes while making 3-of-7 from 3-point range (42.9%).

Playing against Orlando’s long, athletic and physical defense made it a rough night for many younger Rockets. The poor showings included:

  • Jalen Green: 10 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists in 30 minutes; 2-of-10 shooting (20%)
  • Jabari Smith Jr.: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 6 fouls in 26 minutes; 3-of-9 shooting (33.3%), 0-of-4 on 3-pointers
  • Amen Thompson: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 turnovers, 2 assists in 21 minutes; 3-of-10 (30%), 1-of-7 on 3-pointers (14.3%)

Orlando outrebounded Houston by a commanding 63-37 margin.

Dillon Brooks was a standout in his first game with the Rockets, posting 14 points and 4 rebounds in 26 minutes while making 4-of-6 from 3-point range (66.7%). Veteran floor general Fred VanVleet had 14 points and 5 assists while also connecting on 4-of-6 from deep, though he missed six of his seven shots inside the arc.

Third-year center Alperen Sengun had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 6-of-11 from the field (54.5%). However, like many of his teammates, he struggled to score after a 6-of-6 start.

Here are highlights and interviews from Wednesday, along with reaction by media members and fans. Next up for Houston is a visit to San Antonio on Friday night, with tipoff at 7 p.m. Central.

Ranking the 23 best NBA players under 23 years old, with a FIBA World Cup star leading the pack

Where should Victor Wembanyama rank? Here’s the answer, along with the other best young NBA stars.

We are entering a new era of the NBA with Victor Wembanyama as one of several young stars vying to become the face of the league.

Now that the NBA’s 2023-24 season is less than a month away from tipping off, as we did last year, we have decided to re-rank the 23 best players who are under 23 years old.

But why 23? Well, it is not just because that was the number worn by Michael Jordan. Typically, NBA publications rank 25 players under 25 years old. You can read versions of that here, here, and here. I wanted to try out a similar thought experiment but with a new twist.

By the time NBA players are 25 years old, many have already graduated to their second contract and are in vastly different chapters of their careers than the league’s young players. It is harder to compare players like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, who will each earn more than $30 million next season, to players on rookie scale contracts.

The following rankings, meanwhile, are based predominantly on how we see NBA projections for next season. It is not as predictive of their future success or their potential in the league.

NOTE: For this exercise, all players included must be born after Oct. 24, 2000. 

Team Germany roster: Meet the national team that beat Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup

Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner are not the only NBA players on this team.

Although the United States was considered the favorite to win the 2023 FIBA World Cup, they lost to Germany in the semifinals.

After the upset victory over Team USA on Friday in the Philippines, the German national team will advance to the finals and will face Serbia for a chance to win the gold medal in the competition.

Germany is coached by Gordon Herbert, who led Germany to win a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2022. His roster at the FIBA World Cup has four NBA players, more than any other nation except for just Team USA (12) as well as Australia (9) and Canada (7).

This team, also known as Die Mannschaft, is currently the only undefeated nation remaining in the tournament. Here are the players representing their country in this competition.

Wolverines as pros: How former Michigan basketball stars are doing in the NBA

They are doing some good things in the NBA this season! #GoBlue

Going back to the John Beilein days at Michigan, the Wolverines have produced some good NBA talent.

Currently, the maize and blue have nine players in the NBA and most of them see significant playing time. There are a couple players that have a difficult time seeing the floor, but most of the former Michigan stars have an important role for their respective teams.

Former players like Zaiver Simpson, Chaundee Brown Jr., and DJ Wilson are still trying to claw their way back into the NBA and are currently in the G-League.

Here are the nine former Michigan basketball players in the NBA and their stats from the 2022-23 season.

NBA Rising Stars 2023: Full rosters revealed in draft announcement

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2023 NBA Rising Stars game.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2023 NBA Rising Stars competition set to take place on Feb. 17 as part of All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The showcase will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games for the second straight year. Each game will be played to a final target score, meaning a game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of a running clock.

The pool of 28 players for the game consists of 11 first-year players, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The rookies and sophomores were selected by assistant coaches, and the G League players were chosen by the league office.

The G League players will comprise one of the four teams.

The three teams from the NBA will be coached by Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Deron Williams. The three former players each selected seven players to their teams on Tuesday in an order determined by career All-Star appearances: Gasol (6), Williams (3) and Noah (2).

Here are the four rosters for the NBA Rising Stars competition.

NBA Rising Stars 2023: Player pool revealed for annual showcase

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 17.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 17 as part of All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The showcase game will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games for the second straight year. Each game will be played to a final target score, meaning a game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of a running clock.

The pool of 28 players for the game consists of 11 first-year players, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The rookies and sophomores were selected by assistant coaches and the G League players were chosen by the league office.

The 21 NBA players were selected by assistant coaches across the league. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position, in order of preference.

The three NBA teams will be coached by Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Deron Williams. Jazz assistant coach Jason Terry, who previously coached the Grand Rapids Gold, will lead the G League team. Assistants from the All-Star Game staffs will also coach in the event.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

Takeways: In fourth straight home loss, Rockets ground to halt by Magic zone

With eight fourth-quarter turnovers vs. Orlando’s zone defense and five in the last five minutes, Houston blew a 15-point lead in the second half and lost its fourth straight game at home.

After leading for most of the game and by 15 points in the third quarter, the Rockets collapsed late against Orlando’s zone defense in a deflating 116-110 loss (box score) on Wednesday at Toyota Center.

Houston (9-22) has dropped four straight home games and two to the Spurs and Magic, teams widely viewed as rebuilding rivals.

The Rockets committed 17 turnovers, including eight in the fourth quarter and five in the final five minutes.

In a battle of top 2022 rookies, Orlando’s Paulo Banchero (23 points, 45% FG, 13 rebounds) largely outplayed Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. (10 points, 36.4% FG, 5 rebounds) as the Magic (12-21) won for the seventh time in their last eight overall games.

The Rockets were led by Kevin Porter Jr., who scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%) and 5-of-9 on 3-pointers (55.6%). However, he had 5 assists compared to a game-high 5 turnovers, and those proved costly late as Houston struggled to counter Orlando’s zone. Jalen Green had 21 points (47.1% FG) and 8 rebounds, but he went scoreless in the fourth quarter and only shot once.

Second-year guard Franz Wagner — like Green, a first-round pick from the 2021 NBA draft — led the Magic with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting (60.0%), including 4-of-8 on 3-pointers (50.0%).

KJ Martin added 18 points and 4 assists off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting (63.6%) and 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50%), while Alperen Sengun had 13 points (62.5% FG), 12 rebounds and 6 assists at center.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis and postgame interview reaction from Wednesday’s loss to Orlando. Houston concludes its seven-game homestand, the longest of the season, at Toyota Center on Friday versus Dallas with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Central.

Takeaways: Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun magical as Rockets end skid in Orlando

In a matchup loaded with high picks from the last two drafts, it was Houston’s Jalen Green (34 points, 66.7% FG, 45.5% on 3s) who stole the show in Monday’s win at Orlando.

In a matchup featuring numerous high first-round picks from the 2021 and 2022 NBA draft classes, Rockets guard Jalen Green stole the show. His 34 efficient points helped Houston snap its six-game losing streak, 134-127, (box score) at Orlando.

Both the Magic and Rockets are 2-9.

Green connected on 12-of-18 shots (66.7%), including 5-of-11 on 3-pointers (45.5%).

Magic rookie Paolo Banchero, drafted at No. 1 in 2022, had 30 points (50% FG and 3-pointers) and 6 rebounds while easily outdueling Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr., who was taken two picks later. Smith’s slow start to his NBA career continued. He had just 3 points in 22 minutes on 1-of-4 shooting (25%), all from 3-point range.

Beyond Smith, Houston’s prospects showed up in a big way. Second-year center Alperen Sengun had 20 points and 10 rebounds, while third-year forward KJ Martin added 21 points in 26 reserve minutes on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1%) and 4-of-8 on 3-pointers (50.0%).

Rookie forward Tari Eason added 8 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes, including 2-of-3 on 3-pointers (66.7%). Eason also made several key defensive plays when isolated against Banchero.

Houston had key veteran contributions, as well, led by Eric Gordon, who scored 19 points on 5-of-7 from 3-point range (71.4%).

As a team, the Rockets connected on 24-of-48 from 3-point range (50.0%), and they reaped the benefits from strong ball movement. Houston had a season-high 31 assists as a team, led by 11 from Kevin Porter Jr., 5 by Martin, and 4 apiece from Sengun and Gordon. Porter also, however, had a team-high 7 turnovers, including several in the fourth quarter as Orlando tried to rally in the final minutes.

Orlando’s second-year backcourt of Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner, each drafted in the 2021 first round, played well in defeat. Wagner had 23 points (75% FG and 3-pointers) and 7 rebounds, while Suggs added 11 points (62.5% FG) and 6 assists. Both played 33 minutes.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interviews from Orlando. Next up for Houston as the road trip continues is Wednesday night in Toronto, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. Central.