Magic’s Franz Wagner uncertain to play Game 5 vs. Pistons
ORLANDO, Fla. — Franz Wagner‘s status for Wednesday’s Game 5 against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons is uncertain after the Orlando Magic forward exited Monday’s Game 4 late in the third quarter and did not return due to right calf soreness. An MRI on Tuesday showed that Wagner suffered a right calf strain, and he’s considered questionable to play at Detroit.
His availability for Wednesday will depend on how he responds to treatment, the team said. Wagner recorded 19 points, five rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes before he exited the contest that Orlando won 94-88 to take a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Wagner was 8 years old the last time the Magic won a playoff series, 16 years ago.
His teammate Wendell Carter Jr. was in the fifth grade with dreams of one day becoming an airline pilot. Fast-forward to this week and the pair of teammates, alongside Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs, are part of a Magic starting five that has put Orlando on the verge of advancing out of the first round for the first time since 2010.
“It’s a sigh of relief, but you never want to look at it that way,” Carter said about the 3-1 series lead after the six-point win. “It’s the first to four. That’s what our mindset is.
We don’t care about what happened. It’s about the next game. ” Just how difficult will it be for the Magic to secure a fourth win over the Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals?