Will Franz Wagner Play Game 7? Magic Announce Final Decision

The Orlando Magic will head into Sunday’s Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons with only one outcome on their minds.

To win. 

However, they will need to put an end to a run of back-to-back losses to do so.

Having led the series 3-1, Orlando fell in Games 5 and 6 forcing a winner-takes-all game at the Little Caesars Arena tomorrow night. 

The Magic will however be without the services of one of their leading scorers in Franz Wagner. 

Franz Wagner’s Unfortunate Health Status Ahead of Game 7

On Saturday, the Magic announced Franz Wagner will miss the decisive matchup against the Pistons. The German star is dealing with a right calf strain he suffered in Game 4. The announcement, while a big blow, doesn’t come as much of a surprise after Wagner missed both Game 5 and Game 6.

GettyThe Magic will be without Franz Wagner for Game 7.

This leaves the No. 8-seeded Magic in a must-win situation against the top-seeded Pistons with their roster already stretched thin.

Wagner has been dealing with nagging issues all season. A high ankle sprain earlier in the year kept him sidelined for a large chunk of the schedule, limiting him to the fewest regular-season games of his career. His return to play in the postseason was backed by passing late health checks. 

Wagner managed to play over 30 minutes in the first three games of the series before that calf strain forced him out in the third quarter of Game 4. He played 24 minutes that night.

The Magic wouldn’t want to risk Wagner anymore seeing how this season has been limited for the 24-year-old forward.

Magic’s Upset Bid Turns into a Desperate Road Fight

Wagner’s latest injury comes at the worst possible timing for Orlando. It will now have to see off Game 7 over the line without Wagner. That may prove difficult seeing how the Magic collapsed in the last two games without their star forward. 

Game 5 was a close 7-point loss to the Pistons but they suffered one of the most stunning collapses in recent playoff history in Game 6. They by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, Orlando scored only 19 points in the second half, and was outscored 55-19 after halftime. 

The Magic missed 27 of their final 28 shots, they had a poor stretch where they missed 23 consecutive shots, setting a dubious playoff record in a half. Detroit stormed back to tie the series at three games apiece and sent it back to Detroit for Game 7.

Wagner’s absence has been felt. Defensively, he was the primary assignment on Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who exploded for big nights once Wagner went down. He scored a franchise playoff record 45 points in Game 5 and scored 32 points in Game 6. 

Without Wagner, Paolo Banchero carried the load in Game 5 with 45 points, but he and the supporting cast struggled to keep up in Game 6. 

Game 7 may just come down to the top two stars — like it did in Game 5 — in this series. 

Tip-off is scheduled for tomorrow night as both franchises aim for a second-round ticket.

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