Magic's Franz Wagner Reveals Feelings After Big Win Over Raptors

The Orlando Magic kicked off their Emirates NBA Cup slate of games with a 121-114 win over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Friday, and they could not have done it without the performance of Franz Wagner. 

Wagner notched 26 points and a game-high 11 assists in the win to help his team defeat an opponent that has become somewhat of a kryptonite for it in recent meetings.

On Wednesday, the Magic lost to the Raptors, 129-99. Wagner was not nearly as effective, as he only scored 15 points and dished out five assists while turning the ball over seven times. But 48 hours later, he harnessed his potential and delivered on his capabilities.

After the game, Wagner talked with the media about how big of a response it was by the Magic to beat the Raptors. He felt that they executed coverages and brought a much higher level of intensity. Even when Toronto made runs, Wagner said the energy was great, as well as the poise. 

While Wagner had a good individual game, he pointed to the contributions made by his teammates. Alongside Wagner's effort, Desmond Bane led the team in scoring with 28 points, Anthony Black added 17 points and 10 assists, Wendell Carter Jr. scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Jamal Cain hit all five of his shots off the bench to lead the reserve unit with 13 points.

The performances from others are critical, especially when the Magic are missing key players such as Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs. Wagner and Bane have what it takes to step up and become Orlando's leaders in production, but when everyone is contributing, it becomes a hard team to beat, even without key players on the floor.

Friday's victory concludes a three-game road trip to end October, in which the Magic went 2-1. Due to a right ankle sprain suffered in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 23, Banchero was unable to participate in the road trip, and Suggs was knocked out of the first game on it when he suffered a bone bruise in his right knee against the New York Knicks on Sunday.

Despite the adversity caused by those injuries, Wagner knew that the Magic possessed toughness and grit, and those traits were made evident in the preseason. 

Wagner and his teammates understood that they did not demonstrate those traits during every game this season, and making sure they showed what they were made of on Friday was a point of emphasis.