Orlando Magic small forward Franz Wagner left Monday’s Game 4 during the third quarter with a calf injury. The Magic stand on the precipice of closing out the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded team, the Detroit Pistons. Orlando will obviously want to end the series sooner rather than later.
Wagner himself provided an initial update regarding his status before a formal diagnosis was revealed.
Orlando Magic SF Franz Wagner Diagnosed With Calf Strain, Game 5 Status Uncertain
With 12 seconds remaining in the first half of last night’s 94-88 win, the Magic trailed 52-51. Wagner drilled a three-pointer, and they never trailed after that. However, the 24-year-old didn’t play after leaving in the third quarter. Orlando won, but the health of their forward became a question. After the game, Wagner spoke to reporters.
“Hopefully it’ll be better tomorrow. The guys got it done, so that’s all that matters,” Wagner said at the time.
While his opinion wasn’t a diagnosis, Wagner’s impact on the Magic stands out. In just 24 minutes last night, he scored 19 points on 46.7% shooting from the field and made all four of his free throws. In addition, Wagner pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded four steals. The strong effort offset Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero combining to miss 26 of 31 shots, including 13 three-pointers.
Jamahl Mosley has now confirmed Wagner’s status for tonight’s game. It looks like the star will have to watch from the sidelines, and hope that his team gets the job done without him. They have a solid chance of going into Round 2, but can they do it without Wagner?
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Wagner’s contributions in the series, aside from scoring, tell the story of a player who tries to do a little bit of everything. For example, last year, he averaged 1.2 steals in the postseason. Now, that number rose to 2.8. In other words, Wagner improved at playing the passing lanes and staying within arm’s length of his assignment.
Lower leg injuries have become more prevalent. Recently, Minnesota Timberwolves’ Donte DiVincenzo ruptured his Achilles tendon, joining Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton, all of whom suffered the injury in the last two seasons. While Wagner’s injury is currently classified as a calf strain, similar lower-leg issues have, in some cases, led to more serious setbacks if aggravated.
With the diagnosis now confirmed as a calf strain, the focus shifts to how Wagner responds to treatment and whether he can come back in the next game.
With a 3-1 lead, Orlando needs just one win, while Detroit must win out just to advance. Wagner’s departure opened the door for reserve Jamal Cain. While he only scored eight points, he grabbed nine rebounds and put the exclamation point on this game with this dunk.
The Magic need a healthy Wagner in order to make a deep playoff run.
