ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner was set to return to the Orlando Magic lineup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night after missing 20 games with a torn oblique.
Wagner and All-Star power forward Paolo Banchero will be paired for just the sixth time this season. Banchero missed 34 games with the same injury as Wagner before returning in late December.
“I think it’s gigantic,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We talk about the pieces coming back together, us being whole again, slowly but surely. ... With all the standards he has set as a a leader, having him back is going to be big.”
The Magic went 7-13 without Franz Wagner, who is expected to be limited to 24 minutes Thursday. Orlando also lost center Moritz Wagner, Franz's older brother, to a season-ending knee injury, and guard Jalen Suggs, who will miss his 10th game with a lower back strain.
Orlando was 16-9 before 23-year-old Franz Wagner went out. He scored 30 or more points in eight of 14 games before getting injured, and ranked 16th in the NBA in scoring at 24.4 points.
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Dick Scanlon, The Associated Press
