Basketball world champion Franz Wagner reached the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup with the Orlando Magic despite a defeat. After six successes in a row, Wagner and Co. lost 106:121 to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The German star player scored 30 points, but only sank one of five three-pointers.
“We didn’t play with our usual commitment and physicality in defense,” said Wagner, who has been Orlando’s first option in attack since top star Paolo Banchero was injured: “They got into their rhythm and we never got into it Game.”
With the away game in New York, Orlando completed the group phase of the NBA Cup. Despite the defeat, the team from Florida earned a wild card and reached the quarterfinals of the league’s internal cup competition in Group East A. “We deserved the quarter-finals, of course it wasn’t our best game today,” said Wagner. It feels “strange” to move on after a game like that.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley’s team won the first three cup games. The round of the last eight, which also included the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks and the Knicks in the East, will be played on December 10th (local time). The semi-finals and finals will then take place in Las Vegas; apart from the final, all cup games also count as part of the regular season.
Wagner’s brother Moritz also confirmed his good form in New York, achieving a double-double with 20 points and twelve rebounds off the bench. Rookie Tristan da Silva put up eight points. In the Eastern Conference, Orlando is still in third place, with only two defeats in the last 14 games.
In the West, Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City Thunder qualified for the quarterfinals with a 133:106 win against Utah Jazz. The German remained comparatively pale after his outstanding performances of the past few days with four points and five rebounds. The Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks also secured their ticket to the knockout round.
The Mavs secured a wild card with a 121:116 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. While superstar Luka Doncic scored 37 points, Maximilian Kleber remained pointless in just ten minutes of play.
