01/15/26 04:15:00
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01/15 16:13 CST Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner lead Magic past Grizzlies
118-111 in Berlin
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner lead Magic past Grizzlies 118-111 in Berlin
BERLIN (AP) --- Paolo Banchero had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Franz Wagner had
18 points and nine rebounds in his return to the Magic lineup, and Orlando beat
the Memphis Grizzlies 118-111 on Thursday in the NBA's first regular-season
game in Germany.
Wagner had missed more than a month with a high ankle sprain but was able to
return in his native country and play alongside his brother, Moritz Wagner, for
the first time in more than a year. Moritz Wagner tore his left ACL on Dec. 21,
2024 and returned earlier this week. He had seven points in 14 minutes on
Thursday.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 30 points, Santi Aldama had 18 and Cedric Coward had
17 for the Grizzlies, who have lost seven of nine. Memphis' Ja Morant was
sidelined with a right calf injury, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed
some optimism that the two-time All-Star will play on Sunday when the Grizzlies
and Magic meet again in London.
Anthony Black added 21 points for the Magic, who have won three of four.
The Grizzlies took a 52-32 lead midway through the second quarter, but the
Magic got back within nine by halftime and then went on a 13-0 run for an 84-73
advantage late in the third.
Memphis rallied and led 105-102 on GG Jackson's layup with 4:05 left in the
game. Franz Wagner tied it with a 3-pointer and then helped the Magic close it
out by scoring five points in the final 1:39.
The NBA played its first preseason game in what was then West Germany in 1984.
At the time, there were 10 international players on NBA rosters.
This season opened with a record 135 international players, including 71 from
Europe. Tickets were sold to fans from 62 countries for Thursday's game, the
NBA said, and more than 250,000 people tried to obtain tickets by registering
on the league's site.
Up next
The teams travel to London for their next meeting.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
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