Franz Wagner scored 32 points on Tuesday to help the Orlando Magic beat the Charlotte Hornets 114-89 in NBA Cup action.
Moritz Wagner added 18 points off the bench, and Jalen Suggs scored all of his 17 points in the first half. This win gave the Magic their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Franz Wagner made 14 of 25 shots from the field and led Orlando with eight rebounds and five assists. The Magic shot 46.2 percent as a team.
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 35 points, including six 3-pointers. He also had seven assists and six rebounds while shooting 13-of-27. Grant Williams scored 15 points, and Moussa Diabate contributed 12 points and 15 rebounds.
However, Charlotte committed 22 turnovers, twice as many as Orlando, with all five starters having at least two turnovers.
Brandon Miller, who had been playing well recently, struggled with only eight points, shooting 3-of-18 and missing 10 of 11 three-pointers. Charlotte finished the game shooting just 40.5 percent from the field and had issues at the free-throw line, making only 8 of 14 attempts.
Orlando led by 11 points at halftime and extended the lead by finishing the third quarter with a 21-4 run, making the score 89-66. Franz Wagner scored nine points in that run, while Jonathan Isaac added all seven of his points for the game on perfect shooting off the bench.
The Magic’s lead grew to as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter. Franz Wagner has now led Orlando in scoring for six straight games. Both he and Ball had 23 points by halftime, with Orlando shooting 53.3 percent from the field in the first half and taking advantage of Charlotte’s 13 turnovers to lead 58-47 at the break.
