Countless media interviews, hundreds of autographs signed, favorite restaurants visited, time spent with family and old friends, and of course, plenty of volunteer work done in the Berlin community.
That and more was what Magic teammates Franz Wagner, Tristan da Silva and Moe Wagner went through in the lead up to facing the Grizzlies inside Uber Arena and in their home country of Germany on Thursday.
As noted by Amazon’s Prime Network analyst and WNBA legend Candace Parker, it was easy to forget an actual game had to be played, given all of the events surrounding the international contest.
Perhaps it’s not a coincidence the Wagner brothers and da Silva only scored a combined seven points on 3 for 13 shooting from the field with five turnovers in the first half.
But by the end of the night, the German trio, with help from Paolo Banchero, lifted Orlando past Memphis, 118-111, in front of a national TV audience and fans in more than 200 countries and territories on Prime and NBA League Pass.
“Mentally, it was a lot coming into this week,” said Franz Wagner, who played in his first game after missing 16 due to a high left ankle sprain. “Obviously working back from an injury isn’t ever easy, and then it being this game. So, (it was) a very emotional week and also a taxing week because we did a lot of stuff because we wanted to maximize our time here.
“Not making any excuses though,” he added. “Once you decide to play, you’ve got to be ready. I was happy to make some plays at the end.”
The eight-point victory almost didn’t happen after Jamahl Mosley‘s squad fell down by 20 points in the first half. The Magic allowed the Grizzlies to score 39 points in the opening 12 minutes.
Memphis caught fire from distance early when it shot 12-for-20 from 3-point range and Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 23 points before the half.
“The nerves were there,” Mosley said about the Wagner brothers and da Silva. “That adrenaline was very heavy for those guys, and then as they settled into the game, you saw what they were capable of doing once they got themselves going.”
Orlando was able to turn things around when it relied on its defense to limit Memphis to just 12 points in the third quarter, the fewest allowed in any quarter by the Magic this season.
Franz Wagner scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, da Silva ended with eight points, four rebounds and four steals, and Moe Wagner added 7 points and four rebounds.
The 20-point deficit was the largest overcome by Orlando this season, achieved as Banchero notched his team-high 13th double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi
Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) passes the ball around multiple Memphis defenders during Thursday’s in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
“We came out in the third and played really good defense, like the Orlando Magic do usually,” Franz Wagner said. “(We) held them to 12 points and that was the key to winning the game.”
The crowd at Uber Arena helped, too.
Although the game took place nearly 5,000 miles away from Orlando, it was clear which team had a home-court advantage in Berlin.
“Oh, this atmosphere was incredible,” Mosley said. “The German fans are just amazing. As soon as the introductions started with Franz (Wagner) coming out, then Tristan (da Silva) checks in and then Moe (Wagner) checks in, and then the chants of the ‘Orlando Magic,’ … That’s a good feeling for our group. It felt like a home game.
“Again, we have some of the best fans in the NBA, and it felt like that for our guys tonight, which was part of that big adrenaline rush for our guys starting the game out that way,” he added.
The win could serve as a turning point for the Magic, who reached the halfway mark of the regular season Thursday. It marked the first time since Nov. 28-Dec. 1 that Orlando recorded consecutive victories after alternating between wins and losses for almost a month.
Even though Jalen Suggs (right knee MCL bruise) missed his sixth straight game, getting healthier has unsurprisingly helped the Magic. Thursday’s game also marked the first time Banchero and both Wagners played in the same game since Oct. 30, 2024.
The group hopes to ride the wave of momentum and emotion that came with playing in Berlin when they face the Grizzlies again on Sunday in London.
It’ll be the third time the Magic (23-18) have played in London and the first since 2016. Although the contest will serve as the 10th regular season NBA game played in the UK (more than any other European country), Memphis (17-23) has never played in London before.
“There’s always challenges when you’re going different time zones, weather change, … All of those things took place, but our performance staff did a great job with our guys, keeping them prepared,” Mosley said.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic vs. Grizzlies
When: Noon, Sunday, The O2 Arena (London)
TV: Amazon Prime Video