Franz Wagner was a man amongst boys. He had the kind of night that left Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley at a loss for words and shaking his head in disbelief.
For the third game in a row at home, Wagner was an unstoppable force, doing anything he wanted on the court, in a blowout victory with 32 points. The Magic outscored the Charlotte Hornets by 21 points in the second and third quarters and won their NBA Cup opener soundly, 114-89.
The Magic are a perfect 5-0 at the Kia Center, 6-6 overall, and 1-0 in the East Group A of the NBA Cup.
Mosley stated that Wagner is embracing the challenge of being the No. 1 option in the absence of Paolo Banchero, who was sidelined for his seventh straight game with a torn right oblique. Banchero celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday.
In the second quarter, with the Magic leading by six, 41-35, Wagner outscored the Hornets by himself, 13-2, to extend the lead to 17. A baseline drive and finish over the outstretched arms of two defenders really impressed his coach.
“It’s who he is,” Mosley said of Wagner. “He does such a phenomenal job of just taking on the moment, stepping into there as a competitor. He’s super competitive, and he’s gonna do whatever’s necessary to help his team to win.”
Being the Magic’s go-to guy remains somewhat of an adjustment for Wagner, however, his comfort and confidence level in that role is growing.
Embed from Getty Images“The way I grew up playing was a lot of off the ball, just taking really good shots all the time,” Wagner said. “Sometimes, it’s okay to take a midrange shot and stuff like that. That’s something that’s not engrained or wasn’t necessarily taught to me at a young age, but it’s a good challenge for me.”
Orlando also got significant contributions from his brother Moe Wagner (18) and Suggs (17), who was on fire, knocking down his first seven shots.
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with a game-high 35 points, but did not receive much help from his teammates.
The Magic defense, which has been stifling through the early going of the season, came into the game ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating, held its opponent under 100 points for the third consecutive game. They forced 22 turnovers, which led to 22 points for the Magic. During this three-game winning streak, the Magic are 92-of-146 (63%) on two-point baskets. Their opponents are 66-of-138 (48%).
“That’s what we’ve been talking about,” Mosley said. “We’ve done a great job of turning teams over, finishing possessions, then getting in transition and getting the easy baskets. I think that’s a big key for us as we continue to move forward.”
Orlando also was able to get out in transition, scoring 17 fast-break points and their bench outscored Charlotte’s reserves 45-27. The Hornets came into the contest averaging the third-most 2nd-chance points this season, but scored just six Tuesday night. That shows a lack of aggressiveness.
“I think our defense fueled everything tonight,” Suggs said. “It wasn’t shot making fueling us. It was getting stops on that end, then getting out and running, causing problems in transition, which is something that we do very well.
“We didn’t take many possessions off on that side of the ball, which led to runouts, easy buckets, which kind of got us flowing.”
The Hornets, which ranks second in the league in three-point attempts per game, took seven fewer threes than their average output.
“I give credit to our coaches. Magic assistant coach Lionel Chalmers, had the scout tonight, and he did a great job of explaining exactly what was necessary for us to be able to give ourselves a chance in this game. One of those keys was keeping them off the three-point line, and the second key was keeping them off the offensive glass.
“Our guys did a great job of taking on that challenge,” Mosley said. “Eight offensive rebounds for them, but limiting the second-chance points, and then they only made six threes in the second half. I think that’s a big credit to our guys focusing and locking in on the game plan.”
The Magic continue their homestand with the second leg of their third back-to-back this season facing Tyrese Halilburton and the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night.
After a three-day layoff, the Hornets welcome in the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday.
