Why isn't Franz Wagner playing for Magic in Game 7?

Even after blowing a 3-1 series lead over the Detroit Pistons , the Orlando Magic can still achieve the unthinkable on Sunday. If they manage to beat the Pistons on the road in Game 7 of this first-round playoff, the upstart Magic would still become one of the few No. 8-seeded teams to beat a No.

1 seed in the history of the NBA postseason . Unfortunately, such history, especially when playing on the road, is the kind where you need all hands on deck to achieve it. And that isn't something the shorthanded Magic will have in Detroit.

Star forward Franz Wagner will miss his third straight game with a right calf strain . This is brutal news for the Magic, as it is perhaps no coincidence that Wagner's scoring, playmaking, connecting, and defensive ability were all sorely missed for Orlando in its Game 5 and Game 6 defeats. As For The Win's Bryan Kalbrosky points out , it might be Wagner's defense on Pistons franchise talisman Cade Cunningham that is actually the most missed: During the series against Detroit, per NBA.

com , Wagner has served as the primary defender against Cade Cunningham. The Pistons star is shooting 7-of-22 (31. 8 percent) with six turnovers across four games on those opportunities.