Franz Wagner scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half as the Orlando Magic took control late in the second quarter and pulled away in the third, beating the Brooklyn Nets 123-100 in an NBA Cup game on Friday night in New York.
With this win, Orlando moved to 3-0 in Group A, beginning a stretch of three consecutive games in New York. They extended their winning streak to five games and have now won 11 of their last 12 games. Brooklyn, on the other hand, ended the NBA Cup with a 1-3 record and was eliminated earlier in the day after the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Wagner scored 29 points against Brooklyn for the second time this season, adding eight rebounds and eight assists. He shot 12-of-20 from the field and made three 3-pointers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit four 3-pointers, scoring 19 points. The Magic continued their strong play, improving to 11-5 since Paolo Banchero was sidelined with an oblique injury. Rookie Tristan da Silva scored 13, while Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. each added 12 points. Orlando shot 53 percent from the field, matched their season-high with 18 3-pointers, and scored 34 points off 20 Brooklyn turnovers.
Brooklyn was already missing Cam Thomas (hamstring), and with six different starting lineups in as many games, they saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Dennis Schroder (personal) and Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) were also absent.
Shake Milton scored 22 points, and Keon Johnson added 15 as Brooklyn’s bench contributed 58 points. Cameron Johnson had 14 points, Trendon Watford scored 13, and Jalen Wilson added 11 as the Nets shot 49.4 percent from the field.
Wagner’s nine first-quarter points helped Orlando build a 33-29 lead after the first quarter, making 12 of 18 shots. After a missed dunk by Claxton with 3:11 left in the second quarter, Wagner added a layup and a 3-pointer as Orlando closed the half with a 13-3 run, leading 61-49.
The Magic took their first 20-point lead when Suggs hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 74-54 with 9:09 remaining in the third. Carter’s hook shot with 6:29 pushed the lead to 80-55. Orlando then entered the fourth quarter with a 96-71 lead.
When the Nets cut the deficit back to 20, Wagner hit three more baskets in the lane to extend the lead to 105-84 with 5:15 left, essentially sealing the victory.
