Franz Wagner Pushes Magic Past Pistons in Michigan Homecoming

The Orlando Magic are winners of three straight after beating the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

Jeremy Brener | Feb 4, 2024

Franz Wagner Pushes Magic Past Pistons in Michigan Homecoming /

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic are flying back to the Sunshine State from the midwest on a happy flight after a 111-99 win against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon inside Little Caesars Arena.

The Magic went into the fourth quarter leading by three points and the young Pistons weren't going to go away easily. However, Orlando was able to play sound defense and answer every time Detroit tried to make a run and take the lead.

Franz Wagner Bojan Bogdanovic Pistons — Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The afternoon's effort was led by Franz Wagner, whose 38 points tied a career-high. Paolo Banchero added 20 of his own, while Moe Wagner and Gary Harris both scored in double figures off the bench.

For the Pistons, Jaden Ivey was stellar in the first half en route to a team-high 18 points. Cade Cunningham matched that total, while rookie Ausar Thompson scored 15 off the bench.

The Magic has now won three straight games for the first time since early December when the team grabbed nine consecutive victories. Orlando is stringing together wins at a crucial time as the team looks to gain ground in the Eastern Conference standings.

NBA Trade Idea: Magic Acquire Pistons' Bogdanovic

One of the teams they are in direct competition with, the Miami Heat, will host the Magic for their next game on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Published Feb 4, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.