The Orlando Magic entered their play-in matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers with the possibility of locking a first-round appearance in the playoffs, but the night ended with a loss and a late-game injury scare.
Orlando lost 109-97 on Wednesday, setting up a must-win game against fellow play-in contestant Charlotte Hornets on Friday if they want to keep their postseason streak alive.
With a little over a minute left in the fourth quarter, Franz Wagner was involved in a collision with teammate Wendell Carter Jr. near midcourt.
The contact had Wagner grabbing his left knee and limping toward the scorer’s table in pain.
© Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Despite the visible discomfort, Wagner eventually returned to the court for the final seconds, finishing the game with 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes.
The moment, however, was doubly concerning because of Wagner's track record of injuries, including a few suffered this season, such as a lengthy absence due to a high ankle sprain that limited him to 34 games.
After the game, Wagner downplayed the incident, announcing himself available for Friday while acknowledging the awkward nature of the collision.
“Obviously not the best person to run into, but yeah, I’m OK though,” Wagner said.
While Wagner was able to finish Wednesday’s game, he did not appear fully comfortable. With no injury report submitted ahead of Friday's game, Wagner's status remains uncertain heading into the elimination matchup against the Hornets.
Outside of Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, Wagner is the only Magic player averaging 30 minutes per game this season. He also scored the second-most points per game (20.6) and grabbed the third-most rebounds per contest (5.2) within Orlando this season.
The Magic will host the Hornets on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET in a win-and-in game for both teams, with a first-round matchup against the Detroit Pistons on the line.
