Franz Wagner scores 35 in Magic's 107-99 win over Bucks, one rebound short of triple-double

Wagner's night in Orlando

Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic to a 107-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, 13 November, in NBA Cup group play. The world and European champion with Germany's national team finished with 35 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds, falling one rebound short of the first triple-double of his NBA career. It was Orlando's first home win of the season and its second in as many NBA Cup games. The performance also extended Wagner's run to four straight games with at least 30 points.

The late push

With six minutes left, Wagner hit a turnaround hook to reach 30 points. When Milwaukee cut the deficit to eight in the final minute, he stole the ball and finished a Euro-step layup that gave Orlando a 104-94 lead. Those two plays came as the Bucks tried to close in during the closing minutes. Wagner ended the game with nine rebounds, completing the line that gave Orlando its win.

Supporting cast

Desmond Bane added 21 points for Orlando. Goga Bitadze scored a season-high 12 points, half of them on alley-oop dunks off Wagner's passes. Tristan da Silva returned to the starting lineup after missing two games with a calf injury and also finished with 12 points.

Points35

Assists12

Rebounds9

Points

35

Assists

12

Rebounds

9

Data from the article text

Milwaukee's slide

Tyler Herro scored 18 points for Milwaukee, which lost a ninth straight game. That matches the Bucks' longest losing streak since a nine-game skid from 2 to 19 January 2014. Per Sportradar, Milwaukee is 1-12 and off to its worst start in 52 years, having lost 13 of its first 14 games in 1974-75 without an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Group standings and next games

Orlando is 2-0 in NBA Cup group play, a group completed by the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors, while Milwaukee is 0-2. The Bucks host Atlanta on Sunday, 15 November, and the Magic travel to Boston on Monday, 16 November.

Elsewhere on the night

In a separate game, Isaiah Hartenstein posted 21 points and 16 rebounds, his best numbers of the season, but Oklahoma City lost 112-113 to the Los Angeles Clippers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points but missed his final attempt as the clock ran out.