Franz Wagner almost tops his career-high in duel against rookie star Victor Wembanyama as Orlando Magic defeat San Antonio Spurs

Franz Wagner had the game of his life tonight against one of the best prospects in NBA history. The duo of him and Paolo Banchero is exciting to watch and the development of these young rising stars are starting to produce wins. In tonight’s game, it was the 3rd year player who took over, as the 22-year-old small forward led the Orlando Magic to a 127-11 win over the San Antonio Spurs at Kia Center.

Paolo Banchero has had a great start to his NBA career. He was drafted 1st overall in the 2022 draft and won Rookie of the year. In his second season, he’s been selected to his first All-Star game with averages of 23 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. The future for Orlando is bright with Banchero as the face of the franchise.

Wagner had a game high 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists on 13/17 shooting, finishing 4 points away from tying his career-high of 38 points. Jalen Suggs finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while Paolo Banchero recorded 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.

For the Spurs, Devin Vassell led the way with 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Victor Wembanyama had 15 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks while Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins each scored 12 points off the bench.

This win improves the Magic to 28-24 (add/subtract one game), which makes them 8th in the Eastern Conference. Orlando is now 0.5 games behind the 6th seeded Indiana Pacers for the last guaranteed playoff spot and to avoid the play-in tournament. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games and will play on Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls.

On the other hand, this loss drops the Spurs to 10-42 on the season. San Antonio is 2-8 over their last 10 games and currently on a 6-game losing streak. Their next game will be on Saturday night against the Brooklyn Nets.