Orlando Magic easily defeat Brooklyn Nets: Franz Wagner takes over with no Paolo Banchero

The Orlando Magic were without their All-Star Paolo Banchero due to an illness, but that didn’t hurt them as Franz Wagner stepped up in his place. He had an efficient night and led his team to an easy 108-81 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Kia Center.

This game got out of hand early, as by halftime the lead was already at 14 points. Despite being able to go over things during the break, the Nets came out lethargic and only scored 15 points in the 3rd while Orlando doubled that output, extending the lead to 29 points heading into the 4th.

Franz Wagner was the main reason for this dominant win, as he scored 21 points on 8/11 shooting, including 17 of these points coming in the first half. His brother, Moe Wagner, played a great game as well, finishing with 16 points off the bench. Guards Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz each scored 12 points and Wendell Carter Jr. had 10 points of his own.

For Brooklyn, Dennis Schroder led the team with 15 points with 3 made triples. Trendon Watford had 14 points off the bench while Nic Claxton scored 10 points. Mikal Bridges struggled, hitting only 2/14 shots for 4 points. Cam Johnson shot 40% and ended with 9 points.

This win improves the Magic to 33-26, which makes them 7th in the Eastern Conference and tied with the Miami Heat for the 6th seed. This win is huge as Orlando is looking to rise up in the standings, so every game counts. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games and will look to pick up another victory on Thursday against the Utah Jazz.

On the other hand, this loss drops the Nets to 22-36, which makes them 11th in the East and 4 games away from the 10th seed. Brooklyn is in a tough spot, as they don’t have their first-round pick (because of the James Harden trade) but they aren’t good enough at the moment to compete with the top teams in the NBA. They are 2-8 over their last 10 games and will look to bounce back on Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks.