By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Matching his career-high, Franz Wagner was the driving force for the Orlando Magic in the opening game of NBA Sundays.
The 22-year-old German swingman scored 38 points, paving the way for the win, 111-99, versus the Detroit Pistons in Little Caesars Arena. He made 17/25 field goals, including four triples as his side went up to 27-23 with a third consecutive win in the Regular Season. Three rebounds, two assists, and one steal complemented a brilliant scoring showing.
Coming off the bench, his brother Moritz Wagner chipped in ten points behind 5/5 shots, five rebounds, and four assists. Recently moved out of the rotation, Georgian Goga Bitadze did not play. British Admiral Schofield was left out of the lineup.
For the lowly Pistons, Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic was limited to 3/12 field goals and 11 points to go with five rebounds, two assists, and one block. Italian Danilo Gallinari went 0/5 ending up with two points, one assist, and one steal.
French Killian Hayes did not enter the court for a third straight contest amid rumors about being traded away from the Pistons. Two-way French player Malcolm Cazalon was on assignment with the Motor City Cruise.
Beal returns to Washington with 43 points
A visitor at Capital One Arena after 11 seasons as a leading member of the Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal tallied 43 points over 31 minutes, setting a new personal best for the 2023-24 campaign. The Phoenix Suns prevailed, 140-112.
Bosnian teammate Jusuf Nurkic fell narrowly shy of a second career triple-double combining 18 points and 13 rebounds with eight assists. He added one steal in a 25-minute effort. French Theo Maledon did not suit up.
On the losing end, Israeli Deni Avdija neared his career-high with 24 points behind 10/13 makes, besides recording three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.
Despite dealing with a low back contusion, French Bilal Coulibaly drew a start but was limited to one rebound in 25 minutes.
Photo Credit: Getty Images