How Franz Wagner’s ‘Movie Moment’ Overcame LeBron, AD in Magic’s Win Over Lakers

On By Littum

It was a script made for Hollywood.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were coming off their best finishes, scoring the final 23 points of the Los Angeles Lakers’ fourth quarter. But when the Hall of Famers missed four of their last six free throws, they left the door open for another star.

Enter Franz Wagner, whose step-back three-pointer hit nothing but nylon with 2.5 seconds left to give the Orlando Magic their best win of the season, 119-118.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) celebrates after making a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) celebrates after making a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in the game to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

“It was big-time,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “They missed the free throw, make it a two-point game. He comes down, doesn’t have to rush, sets it up. That’s the thing, we work on those gap situations, those shots. He works on those shots. He’s not afraid for big moments and that’s what we’ve asked him to do.”

Down with three starters – All-Star Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. to injury and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope due to the birth of his family’s fifth child – it would be a challenge enough to face the high-octane Lakers. Not to mention the second night of a back-to-back against a team that hadn’t lost at home.

But Orlando kept pace with the host Lakers, with the help of a little luck and a lot of Wagner.

“I couldn’t be happier for this team, but for him who puts in so much work to see that fall,” continued Mosley. “This group, they fight. They fought the whole game and I can’t say enough about this group, can’t say enough about Franz.”

Two possessions before and the Magic down two, Wagner had a falling three hit lead. Davis split the pair to make it a four-point game, then Wagner quickly drove to the basket to pull within two again. After two more Davis misses, the stage was set.

“I was a little bummed, I missed the first one, so I was glad I got another shot,” Wagner said in his on-field interview after the game.

Matched up with Davis, Jalen Suggs’ screen Cam Reddish switched to Wagner. Between the legs, between the legs, three to go.

Curtains.

When Jalen Suggs got behind the microphone, he could only laugh when asked about his perspective on Wagner’s triple.

“I just stared at him, I said, ‘Boog, you gotta hit it,'” Suggs said, his smile beaming ear-to-ear. “Man, he got to his bag, got back, shot the rainbow and it went in.

“Yeah, Boogie is special, I’m not gonna lie. It’s crazy,” Suggs continued. “It’s like a movie moment.”

Wagner emphasized that he was only looking for the best shot, not dead-set on taking a game-winning three.

“They were set up pretty well so I didn’t really see any roadway,” he said. “I felt that before it felt really good. In those moments you don’t really think too much, but I think I made a good call.

“Down two, you never want to just settle for one shot, but the way they played me… I work a lot on my off-the-dribble three, and you work on it in those moments,” added Wagner . “I went into it with confidence and I felt really good.”

Wagner finished with a season-high 37 points — 15 of them in the fourth quarter — with six rebounds, 11 assists and four steals.

Suggs added 23 points with five threes. Moe Wagner added a season-high 19 off the bench.

Davis and James combined for 70 points on the night, and Dalton Knecht had 17.

But it’s a long, happy flight home for the Magic, who finished the road trip 2-1 and improved to 10-7 this season.

The Magic return home for a one-off home game Saturday night against the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM ET at the Kia Center.

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