Franz Wagner was struggling through the first half.
His shots were off balance and the usually unflappable rookie was getting thrown a bit off balance. He was struggling to finish or create much of anything. For the first time in a long time, he looked like a rookie.
That felt OK and expected. Everyone has been a bit spoiled with just how good he was.
Of course, that downturn meant the Magic were struggling. Even with Cole Anthony and Wendell Carter back in the lineup, they needed their time to recover and get back into rhythm. And, of course, there was the cold reality the Magic were facing a team with few injuries and fewer COVID absences.
Orlando was down by as much as 20 points early in the third quarter to the New Orleans Pelicans. And they looked like their spark had finally run out in what would become a 110-104 loss at the Amway Center on Thursday.
The Orlando Magic struggled in the first half to put themselves in a hole. But they found their spark and nearly took a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Magic though are not a team to give up on anything. And increasingly, Orlando is starting to figure out exactly who the team is and who it is supposed to be.
In the third quarter, Orlando raced back into the game. Franz Wagner scored 17 of his 20 points in that quarter as the Magic shifted their defense on Brandon Ingram and started getting out on the break more. Both Wendell Carter and Freddie Gillespie recorded blocks that sprung Franz Wagner free in transition.
the Magic started hitting shots and the lead was down to five by the end of the quarter. That made this a game.
And while Orlando’s second unit, still largely full of signees from the last week, gave much of that deficit away as New Orleans went up by nine. But Orlando kept fighting back and kept finding pockets to get into rhythm and get back into the game.
It was Anthony in the fourth quarter leading the way and keeping the Magic alive, even if they could never take the lead back.
Eventually, Devonte’ Graham and Brandon Ingram closed things out for the Pelicans. They hit the big shots and the Magic could not. Orlando’s long uphill climb was just too hard in the end. And that is a lesson the Magic are still having to learn.
Player Grades
Franz Wagner – A-
It is getting increasingly more difficult to find words for Franz Wagner. Every challenge that is thrown in front of him, he seems to succeed at very quickly.
Even all the different defenses and schemes teams send his way, he finds a way to beat it. The biggest task for the Magic is to make sure Wagner stays involved.
Wagner should have a “rookie game” here soon. So to see him struggle through the first half and then bust out in the third is a sign of how much he fits what the Magic are trying to do and how good he is at adjusting his game and figuring out how to be effective.
Wagner had that big burst with 17 of his 20 points in the third quarter. He was smart getting to the rim and to the line. That was key to the Magic’s run to get back into the game. This might have been a bad game but it was still a game where his impact was felt.
Cole Anthony – B+
Cole Anthony struggled in his first game back since spraining his ankle last week against the Atlanta Hawks. There was definitely some rust to shake off for him. It was evident and he was searching for his shot.
Anthony started to find it in the second half especially by attacking the paint and getting his floater game going. That helped him move the ball really effectively too. He finished with 22 points and 11 assists on 7-for-16 shooting. He hit eight of his nine free throws. That was a sign of his aggression as he found his way through the game.
Anthony made some poor shot decisions in the fourth quarter. But he still had eight points in the quarter. He just missed some shots late.
Wendell Carter – B
Wendell Carter was also trying to find his way through the game early on. He seemed to be passing up some shots and did not have the aggression he probably needs offensively. Carter found it eventually and became a reliable offensive outlet in scoring 17 points.
He was always aggressive defensively. Willy Hernangomez is going to have nightmares about Wendell Carter with a pair of blocks he got hit with throughout the course of the game. Carter was a solid defensive presence. And against one of the better rebounding teams in the league. He had 12 rebounds, five offensive, to lead the Magic.
It was a loss and both Antony and Carter needed time to get their legs under them, but it was good to have both back.
Tim Frazier – C-
The Orlando Magic’s bench was really poor for the team. Orlando got only 17 points from the bench (eight from Admiral Schofield). Tim Frazier was emblematic of a lot of the issues the bench group had.
Frazier, the veteran of this group of recent signings, played 13 minutes but was seemingly in for a lot of big moments. Especially in the second quarter when the deficit really seemed to get away from the Magic. He missed all five of his shots and was not much of a playmaking or shooting push when he played alongside Hassani Gravett.
Now that players are starting to come out of health and safety protocols, it is going to be time for the Magic to start figuring out who plays where. Frazier has not looked impressive in the two games since he signed.
New Orleans Pelicans – B+
The New Orleans Pelicans had the best player in the game in Brandon Ingram. And Ingram delivered with the Orlando Magic having few answers. Ingram scored 31 points on 12-for-23 shooting. He got to his spots and hit shots however he wanted. He physically moved Chuma Okeke off his spot.
But Ingram got a ton of help from Josh Hart (22 points, 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc) and Devonte’ Graham (20 points, 5-for-14 shooting from deep). The Pelicans hit timely shots and staved off the Magic run just from the 3-point line.
New Orleans’ defense was solid too as Orlando’s offense just stalled out throughout much of the first half. The Pelicans were always in control. They struggled to score for a stretch in the third quarter when they gave up the lead, but the Magic never tied or took the lead. New Orleans made the plays to win.
The Magic enter the holidays at 7-26, 14th in the Eastern Conference. They return to action Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat.