When the Magic traveled to New York in mid-November, they saw Paolo Banchero suffer a left groin strain in the first quarter of the 12th game of the season that held him out for the following 10 contests.
Banchero made his return Friday against Miami, but Orlando found itself in a familiar spot during the opening frame of Sunday’s road game inside Madison Square Garden.
Franz Wagner, a budding All-Star in his own right, went up for an alley-oop pass from Anthony Black and landed awkwardly when his left leg buckled underneath him with 4:43 left in the first quarter. Wagner was in clear and immediate pain when he grabbed near his left knee laying down on the court. He needed to be assisted to the locker room while putting no weight on his left leg.
At the end of the first quarter, the Magic said Wagner would not return due to what the team described as a lower left leg injury. The Magic said Wagner will be re-evaluated upon the team’s return to Orlando.
It was his older brother Moe Wagner (who is recovering from a torn left ACL suffered last December) and rookie Noah Penda who helped Franz Wagner into the locker room.
Prior to the injury, Franz Wagner had notched 7 points, 3 rebounds, an assist and a steal in 7 minutes of first-quarter action. Orlando led by four points, 22-18, at the time of the injury.
The Magic took a 55-54 lead into halftime at New York.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
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Magic vs. Heat
When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Kia Center
TV: Prime Video