Franz Wagner continues to cause a stir in the NBA. In a dramatic duel against the Los Angeles Lakers, the basketball world champion hits the decisive shot. The other Germans also shine, while the Lakers stars wobble shortly before the end.
37 points, eleven assists, the winning goal with a three-pointer shortly before the end and superstar LeBron James stole the show: Franz Wagner continues to shine in the NBA. With an outstanding performance, the basketball world champion led the Orlando Magic to a 119:118 (60:67) victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He crowned his achievement with the three-point shot three seconds before the siren.
“It was probably the biggest throw of my career,” said Wagner after the game with a smile on his face: “We didn’t have any more timeouts. Then I had the idea to do it myself. The throw before felt very good. Then I didn’t think much about it. I think it was a good decision.” His teammate Jalen Suggs even spoke of “a movie moment.”
Wagner set two personal bests for the season with 37 points and eleven assists. He has never managed so many assists in a game in his four NBA seasons. Wagner also recorded six rebounds and four steals. His brother Moritz Wagner also achieved a personal season best with 19 points. Tristan da Silva, the Magic’s third German, scored twelve points.
Anthony Davis becomes a tragic hero
The Lakers around their superstars LeBron James (31 points) and Anthony Davis (39) had previously been in the lead for large parts of the final quarter. Among other things, James scored three threes in a row. But in the final minute, the two star players missed crucial free throws, and with the Lakers two points ahead, Davis made two missed throws that enabled Wagner to score the win.
For Los Angeles it was the first defeat after six wins in a row and the first home defeat of the season. After their tenth win of the season, the Magic remain in the top group of the Eastern Conference. They were recently missing three starters, including All-Star Paolo Banchero.
jm/dpa
