Basketball world champion Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic to their 39th win of the season with a strong performance. Wagner was his team's top scorer with 19 points in a 113:103 win over the Toronto Raptors. Orlando is still clearly on course for the play-offs and has its sights set on its best season record in 13 years.
Wagner also had seven rebounds in the second win in a row, while his brother Moritz had seven points for the Magic. In the fight for direct play-off entry, Orlando (39:28) as the fifth-placed team in the East is currently three wins ahead of runner-up Miami Heat (36:30), who would have to go into the play-in tournament in seventh place.
Orlando could play its first 50-win season since 2010/12 (52:30 with star center Dwight Howard), the team record is 60 wins from the time of superstar Shaquille O'Neal (1995/96).
Daniel Theis and the Los Angeles Clippers are weakening in the late stages of the regular season and suffered their third defeat in the last four games at 104:112 at the New Orleans Pelicans. With 42:24 wins, the Clippers are in fourth place in the Western Conference and are three wins ahead of seventh place.
World champion Theis hardly appeared in New Orleans; a rebound and a foul were the only countable events in his working day.
#sports #compact #Wagner #brothers #win #defeat #Theis