Franz Wagner, Magic Outlast Sixers in First of Two Meetings This Week

Behind Franz Wagner's 35 points and a crucial closing stretch, the Orlando Magic improved to 16-8 with a 106-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Magic have won 13 of their past 15 games.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) dunks the ball in front of Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A night after having nothing but pride and point differential to play for in the second half, the Orlando Magic found itself in a dogfight.

Facing a shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers team that was missing perennial All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Magic struggled to impose their will and put away the Sixers. Orlando's 10-point lead with just over four minutes to go was one point with 1:21 to play.

But the Magic protected their lead with five free throws in the final eight seconds to win 106-102.

"I really did like their composure," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of his team's poise down the final stretch. "The communication between each of the guys about where the matchups were, how we were guarding, the different situations we were gonna be in.

"I just think that they did a great job of listening and paying attention to what the coaches were saying, but also with communicating with one another."

After Tuesday night's blowout loss to the New York Knicks, Mosley said his team would have to accept it as a "stinker" and move on.

He reaffirmed his messaging pregame Wednesday night in Philadelphia — the second leg of the Magic's fifth back-to-back in 24 games. Tuesday was one game in a season with 82 of them. There was no point in getting too high or too low after a single result.

The Magic strayed from their style of basketball and paid dearly for it in New York. Their familiar winning formula — defense and Franz Wagner — carried them in a competitive game in Philly.

"It's not surprising, because that's the identity of the Orlando Magic. That's who we are," Mosley said. "We're gonna fight, we're gonna grind it out, whatever it looks like. We're gonna stick to our defense and how we want to guard night in and night out, whether we're making shots or not, this is a gritty group that's gonna find a way no matter what."

Forward Jonathan Isaac, who contributed 14 points, two steals, and two blocks in just 15 minutes, echoed his coach. "[This is] exactly us. Kept them to 102 [points] and still had lapses, still had bad moments [and] miscommunications. And we still held them to 102."

With Wednesday night's win, their 13th in the past 15 games , the Magic improved to 16-8. They are 2-0 versus the Sixers and the two teams play again in Philly on Friday.

Franz Wagner led Orlando in scoring with 35 points – his seventh game of at least 30 points. He is stacking performances that almost certainly will make him an All-Star. He may not be the one to say it himself, but Mosley is doing the campaigning for him:

louder Coach Mose 🗣️🗣️

ALL-STAR HIM pic.twitter.com/JfJfpVMQcY

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 5, 2024

Jalen Suggs, who endured a poor night from the perimeter in New York, scored 17 points with four made threes. He also added two rebounds, six assists and three steals. As a team, Orlando totaled 13 steals and seven blocks.

Anthony Black added 10 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Moe Wagner had 10 points and six rebounds. All told, the Magic bench scored 39 points to back up Franz's big night.

Goga Bitadze returned to the Magic starting lineup after a one-game absence with a right ankle sprain. Isaac missed the final stretch of the game with cramps in his right leg, but affirmed postgame that he's "all good."

Up Next

The Magic's five-game Northeast trip concludes Friday night with a second matchup against the 76ers. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.

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