Magic vs. Bucks Score: Wagner’s 35 Lead Orlando to 107–99 NBA Cup Win
Franz Wagner scored 35 points with 12 assists and nine rebounds — one board short of his first career triple-double after a league review — as Orlando beat Milwaukee 107–99 at the Kia Center on Friday night, the Magic's third straight win and a 2–0 start in NBA Cup East Group A.
2 minute read
The Orlando Magic have their first home win of the season, and they took it in the competition that is quickly becoming their favorite. Franz Wagner scored 35 points with 12 assists and nine rebounds — one rebound short of his first career triple-double — to lead Orlando past the Milwaukee Bucks 107–99 at the Kia Center on Friday night, an NBA Cup East Group A win that ran the Magic’s winning streak to three and their Cup record to 2–0. Follow the whole beat on our Orlando Magic page, part of Orlando Citizen Sports.
Wagner does everything, and nearly everything else
Wagner played 36 minutes and shot 13 of 22 from the floor, 3 of 8 from three-point range and a perfect 6 of 6 at the line, finishing with a plus-34 in the box score. For most of the night the arena believed it was watching a triple-double: Wagner was initially credited with 10 rebounds, but the league ruled that a second-quarter tip by Goga Bitadze — at 1:55 of the second quarter — counted as a controlled tip and a Bitadze rebound, leaving Wagner at nine. It was still a stat line no Magic player had produced before: 35 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in one game, and Wagner’s fourth straight outing with at least 30 points.
Bane’s six threes build the cushion
Orlando won this game before halftime. The Magic took the first quarter 23–15 and the second 29–22 for a 52–37 lead at the break, then pushed the margin to 20 early in the third. Desmond Bane matched Milwaukee’s best shooter shot for shot, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting with six three-pointers, five rebounds and three assists. Tristan da Silva and Wendell Carter Jr. added 12 points each, and Bitadze scored 12 on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting night off the bench.
Milwaukee’s late push falls short
The Bucks, who fell to 1–12 with their ninth consecutive loss, outscored Orlando in both second-half quarters behind Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 22 points and five threes. Myles Turner added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Tyler Herro scored 18, but Milwaukee never recovered from the first-half hole, and the defeat ended the Bucks’ NBA Cup hopes in East Group A.
What it means, and what’s next
The Magic are 5–7 overall and unbeaten in Cup play, with the group race in their own hands. The schedule now turns: Orlando visits the Boston Celtics on Monday, Nov. 16 (7:00 p.m. ET, TD Garden), returns home to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, Nov. 18 (7:00 p.m. ET, Kia Center), and travels to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Nov. 20 (7:30 p.m. ET) for its next Cup group game. For the rest of a busy Orlando sports weekend, read our UCF basketball recap and the Orlando City Wild Card preview.
Photo: Kia Center 12-22-24 by Csab6482 · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons · AI-enhanced to magazine grade by Orlando Citizen.
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