The Orlando Magic suffered a potentially devastating blow to their lineup early in Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks.
Per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill, the Magic ruled out star forward Franz Wagner for the remainder of the game after he suffered a lower left leg injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s matchup.
Wagner suffered the injury when he was fouled while going up for an alley-oop on a fast break. His left leg appeared to buckle when he landed, and he was on the floor in visible pain before being assisted off the court.
The Magic further announced that Wagner will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Orlando on Sunday evening. Goodwill noted that the team said he will undergo an MRI.
Wagner has been sensational for a Magic team that entered Sunday’s game with a 14-9 record. He leads the team with an average of 23.4 points per game while also adding 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals. His production was particularly needed while the team was missing star forward Paolo Banchero, who recently returned from a 10-game absence due to a groin injury.
Losing Wagner would be a major blow to the Magic, as they entered the season hoping to build on the momentum of back-to-back playoff appearances. The East is considered wide open this year, so this would’ve been the perfect opportunity for a young Orlando team to make some noise in the postseason.
The Magic will be hoping to avoid a worst-case scenario when Wagner is evaluated after the team returns to Orlando.
