German forward Franz Wagner hit his stride late to help the Orlando Magic rally for a 118-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday AEDT in the first NBA regular-season game ever played in Germany.
It came on a night where Orlando’s Anthony Black might’ve thrown down the dunk of the season, soaring to slam over four (!) Memphis defenders. It has to be seen to be believed.
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Black’s breakaway stuff came at a crucial point in the game, too, with just over two minutes left in the game and scores tied.
Off a turnover, Black received possession at half-court before taking it the rest of the way to slam on Vince Williams, Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson Jr. and GG Jackson.
“Take that with you! … That is a dunk of the year candidate,” play-by-play announcer Michael Grady said on the NBC broadcast.
The Grizzlies did their best to spoil the return of Orlando’s Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, to their home country in the showcase game in Berlin.
Memphis led by as many as 20 points in the first half before the Magic stepped it up on the defensive end to turn the tide.
Orlando surrendered 39 points in the first quarter, but allowed Memphis just 40 in the next two periods combined, Franz Wagner pointing to Orlando’s 26-12 third quarter dominance as the difference-maker.
Wagner called it “super-special” to have a chance to show his Magic teammates around Berlin, the city where he grew up.
He said it wasn’t just the emotion of the trip that accounted for his slow start but also some rustiness as he returned from a 16-game absence with a high ankle sprain.
“It was a lot coming into this week,” Wagner said of the extra media demands surrounding the historic game.
“Obviously working back from an injury isn’t ever easy, and then it being this game, a very emotional week. Also a taxing week because we did a lot of stuff because we want to maximize our time here.
“I’m not making any excuses, though. Once you decide to play you’ve got to be ready.
“I was happy to make some plays at the end,” added Wagner, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Anthony Black added 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 30 points, but after a red-hot shooting start the Grizzlies connected on just 33.3% of their attempts from the field in the second half.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant, recently the subject of trade rumors, was again sidelined with a calf injury but could take the floor when the two teams continue their European tour with a clash in London on Monday.
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AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent was on the receiving end of boos as LA lost its fourth game in its past five to the Charlotte Hornets.
Vincent, who’s shot a respectable 39.1 per cent from three this season, went 0-7 from the field and 0-5 from three-point land in 15 minutes of action, with frustrated Lakers fans jeering the 29-year-old in brutal scenes.
The Lakers, sitting fifth in the Western Conference, fell 135-117 to the 15-26 Hornets.
In Portland, Dyson Daniels’ Atlanta Hawks fell to the surging Portland Trail Blazers, 117-101.
The Australian was quiet in 33 minutes of action, scoring 10 points on nine shots with five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Elsewhere, the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Rockets 111-91 in Houston to push their league-best record to 35-7.
NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points, and center Chet Holmgren added 18 for Oklahoma City, who out-scored the Rockets 34-16 in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Jalen Williams scored just six points, but he handed out 10 assists without a turnover to help keep the Thunder offence firing.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs got a scare when Victor Wembanyama banged knees with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo minutes into their clash and departed to the locker room.
But the French star returned at the start of the second period and scored 22 points with 10 rebounds in a 119-101 Spurs victory.
Stephon Castle added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and six Spurs players scored in double figures.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 21 points, but he was the only Milwaukee starter to score in double figures and the Bucks lost their third straight.
In Dallas, Klay Thompson moved into fourth place on the NBA’s all-time three-pointer list, draining six from beyond the arc on the way to 26 points in the Mavericks’ 144-122 victory over Utah.
With 2,809 career three-pointers Thompson has passed Damian Lillard (2,804) for fourth on the list topped by Thompson’s former Golden State teammate Stephen Curry.
Curry came into the night with 4,201 made three-pointers in his career. After going 0-for-4 from three-point range in a lacklustre first half he connected on four on the way to 27 points in a 128-113 victory over the New York Knicks.
Jimmy Butler scored 32 points for Golden State, and Moses Moody added 21 with a sizzling seven three-pointers in nine attempts.
OG Anunoby and Miles McBride scored 25 points apiece for the Knicks, who were without injured star Jalen Brunson.
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