Magic standout forward Franz Wagner will miss his second straight game when Orlando attempts to close out its first-round series against the visiting Detroit Pistons on Friday night.
Wagner is bothered by a right calf strain that also caused him to miss Game 5 of the Eastern Conference series on Wednesday. Orlando ruled out Wagner for Game 6 on Thursday afternoon.
Wagner was injured in the second half of Game 4 when the Magic won 94-88 to take a 3-1 series lead. Detroit bounced back for a 116-109 home win in Game 5.
“It impacts quite a bit,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said after Game 5 on the loss of Wagner. “You obviously know how he has been playing and what he has been doing for us. More than anything, you just hate to see him out, with him being able to come back (from the ankle injury) and then bounce back out. For us, it changes things in a big way, but obviously, we always talk about next-man-up mentality.”
Wagner played just 34 regular-season games due to the left ankle injury he sustained on Dec. 7. He briefly returned for two games in January and again for two games in February before the latter setback kept him sidelined until April 1. The 24-year-old German averaged 20.6 points per game.
Wagner has averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.8 steals over the first four games of the series against Detroit.
–Field Level Media
