Entering the fourth quarter, the Orlando Magic trailed the Detroit Pistons by two on Saturday. Losers of five straight, the Magic knew they needed to dig in to ensure that the losing streak could come to an end. They were able to do so, particularly Franz Wagner. In the process, Wagner tied a franchise record with his 25 points that he scored in the fourth quarter.
Franz Wagner Ties Magic Franchise Record In Saturday’s Win
Franz Wagner Scores 25 In Fourth, Tying Magic Record
Trailing 81-79 as the fourth quarter began, Orlando knew they were just 12 minutes away from a sixth-straight loss. That would have dropped their record to under .500 for the season.
Instead, the Magic outscored the Pistons 42-32 in the final stanza to secure a 121-113 victory. Twenty-five of the 42 points came courtesy of Wagner. The 6-foot-10 forward only totaled seven points in the first three quarters. In his incredible final 12 minutes, Wagner shot 9-10 from the field, 4-4 from beyond the arc, and 3-3 from the foul line. Twelve of those points came in the first 3:47 of the fourth quarter which gave the Magic a 14-point lead.
The 23-year-old Wagner just recently came back from injury. He came back on Thursday after missing 20 straight contests. Wagner tore his oblique in a December 6 game against the Philadelphia 76ers which kept him out action for nearly seven weeks. It was the same injury that sidelined teammate Paolo Banchero for quite some time. He appeared in each of Orlando’s first 25 outings prior to getting injured. The Magic went 7-13 with Wagner missing from the lineup.
Saturday’s win improved the Magic’s record to 24-23 on the season. That is currently the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference, percentage points behind the team they just beat in the Pistons. If the result was different on Saturday, and Orlando had lost, it would have been their first time they had been under .500 this season since they were 5-6.
McGrady Was The First Magic Player To Drop 25 In A Quarter Back In 2003
Wagner’s 25 points in the fourth quarter tied the Magic’s franchise record for points by a player in a quarter. It’s the same amount scored by one of the team’s best ever scorers in the great Tracy McGrady.
It was more than two decades ago on March 9, 2003, when McGrady dropped 25 points in the second quarter in a game against the Denver Nuggets. Just 23 years old at the time, the 6-foot-8 guard went 7-9 from the field, 4-4 from three-point territory, and 7-8 from the free-throw line en route to a 25-point quarter.
McGrady played four seasons with the Magic and won two scoring titles while with the team. In the 2002-03 season (where he had his 25-point quarter), he scored a career-best 32.1 points per outing while finishing fourth in MVP voting. The following season, he averaged 28.0 points which also earned him a scoring title. McGrady was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Wagner and the Magic will look to further distance themselves from their previous losing streak on Monday when they have a home game against the Miami Heat.
