The Magic trailed the Nets 98-94 with less than two minutes to play inside Kia Center on Friday night.
After falling behind by as many as 16 in the first half, Orlando crawled all the way back against Brooklyn and even led midway through the third quarter before the sides fought back and forth late.
But the question remained: Who would save the day for Jamahl Mosley‘s squad without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero?
The masked-man himself, Franz Wagner, of course.
After a key 3-pointer from Tristan da Silva pulled the Magic within a singe digit, Wagner banked in a triple from the left wing and less than a minute later stepped back and drained another long-range basket from almost the same spot.
All of a sudden, Orlando went from down four points to up five before Desmond Bane (19 points) capped a game-sealing 11-0 run with a pair of free throws to secure a 105-98 victory against Brooklyn, the team’s third in a row.
“A lot of grit and a lot of toughness, especially mentally not giving up,” da Silva said about the character Orlando portrayed in the win. “I’m super proud of everybody that stepped up and made sure we secured this one, even though it was ugly.”
Added Wagner: “Winning close games is really important but we have a lot to clean up. Even in the last couple of minutes, sometimes luck is on your side and you create your own luck a little bit as well.”
Neither was wrong in his assessment of the game either.
The Magic committed 19 turnovers for 21 Brooklyn points, recorded just 21 assists, and let the Nets rack up 50 points in the paint.
The 7-point victory was Orlando’s first of the season when totaling fewer than 23 assists (it was previously 0-4 in those instances). The Magic were also 1-5 when turning the ball over 17-or-more times prior to Friday.
“In this league, you have to find a way to win the game,” Mosley said.
Heading to Houston on Sunday, the Magic (7-6) will evaluate what went wrong against Brooklyn (1-11), knowing the Kevin Durant-led Rockets (8-3) are, on paper, a tougher opponent.
“You go back and you look at all of the turnovers, you understand how you did it and what it’s coming from,” the Magic coach said. “Is it coming from spacing? Is it coming from holding the ball? Is it coming from not taking the shot? Is it just errant passes? You have to continue to look at all of those things.
“When we don’t turn it over, we’re a really good team,” he added. “When we sit down and guard like we did in the fourth quarter, we’re a really good team. You go back and look at those things. … That’s part of the process. How do you do that on a consistent basis?”
Without Banchero, who missed Friday’s game because of a left groin strain that the team will continue to evaluate daily, Wagner had help from da Silva on the perimeter.
The second-year pro shot 5-for-9 from distance, accounting for a third of Orlando’s made triples (it shot 15-for-39 as a group).
While Wagner witnessed da Silva’s growth up close when the two teamed up with their home country of Germany at EuroBasket this past summer, he’s sensed how that confidence has translated to the NBA.
“He’s playing great,” Wagner said. “He’s that type of player. We need him to be aggressive and not only shoot the ball but just be aggressive and play his game and play exactly like he did tonight.
“You can see the potential and he’s gotten a lot better already compared to his first year,” Wagner added. “So I’m super happy for him.”
Wagner’s not sure how much longer he’ll need to wear a mask for the broken nose he suffered last Monday against Portland, but he preferred the carbon-fiber design he wore Friday vs. Brooklyn compared to the clear one he wore Wednesday at New York.
It’s also not known how much time Banchero will miss as he rehabs a left groin strain suffered against the Knicks. He was ruled out for Sunday’s contest at Houston.
Regardless, the Magic will have their hands full against the Rockets, who, much like Orlando, have won three in a row ahead of Sunday’s meeting, including a 24-point victory Friday over the Trail Blazers.
“That’s going to be one where we can’t get away with a win if we don’t play [to] our standard,” da Silva said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re ready to come out and defend.”
Similar to Mosley, Wagner wants the Magic to focus less on the results of their last eight games (of which they’ve won six) and more on the way they won those games, including against the Nets.
In that span, Orlando was ninth league-wide in offensive rating (118.2) and sixth in defensive rating (109.5), according to NBA.com.
“It’s good to get a win but we kind of want to have another game like we had in New York where we play our brand of basketball and share the ball really well, especially against a really good team,” Wagner said. “It should be a really good challenge for our group.
“That should be our mindset — to take another step forward and not get too lost in wins and losses.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic at Rockets
When: 7, Sunday, Toyota Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida/CW18