N.B.A
Wagner brothers win first game after All-Star break
Orlando’s Franz Wagner (22) passes Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. photo
© Sue Ogrocki/AP/dpa
The Wagner brothers Franz and Moritz lead Orlando to an away win in Cleveland in the NBA. Dennis Schröder suffered a significant defeat on his return to Toronto.
In the first game after the All-Star break in the NBA basketball world champions Franz and Moritz Wagner led the Orlando Magic to a respectable success. The team from Florida defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, with 116:109 (54:50).
With 22 points and seven rebounds, Moritz Wagner led the Magic as the best thrower, his younger brother Franz followed with 14 points. Moritz Wagner scored twelve points in the final period alone. “The real teams are starting to play now. As a young team that has never really been in the playoff race, we have to take advantage of this opportunity,” said the 26-year-old center about the important victory in the fight for playoff participation , with Orlando maintaining seventh place in the East.
Dennis Schröder had to admit defeat to his former club with the Brooklyn Nets; the team from New York had no chance at the Toronto Raptors with 93:121 (48:59). Schröder also remained pale, only hit one of his seven throws from the field and didn’t get past four points. Two weeks ago, the playmaker was transferred from Toronto to Brooklyn. Despite the defeat, the Nets remain in eleventh place ahead of the Raptors, which would mean Schröder and Co. miss the playoffs.
Kleber wins with Dallas, Hartenstein wins with the Knicks
Maxi Kleber and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Phoenix Suns 123:113 (60:63) and achieved their seventh win in a row. Superstar Luka Doncic excelled with 41 points, eleven assists and nine rebounds, while Kleber had seven points. With their success, the Mavericks pushed the Suns out of sixth place in the West.
Isaiah Hartenstein and the New York Knicks won 110:96 (69:46) at the Philadelphia 76ers, meaning the Knicks defended fourth place in the East against Philadelphia. However, the center was only used for eleven minutes and did not score any points. Daniel Theis was not used at all in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 107:129 (59:61) away defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists, Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 130:110 (72:49) home win over the Washington Wizards. This makes the Serbian superstar the fourth player in NBA history to record a triple-double against every team in the North American Basketball League. Against Washington, Jokic hit each of his ten throws from the field.