Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard, front left, and Portland Path Blazers forward Jabari Walker, front right, go after a loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Thursday, January 23, 2025, in Orlando, Florida (AP (AP (AP (AP (AP Photo/John Raoux))
The Portland Path Blazers used a suffocating defensive effort to spoil the return of Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner and notched their second three-game winning streak of the NBA season with a 101-79 loss on Thursday.
Wagner, who missed 20 games with an oblique injury, scored a team-high 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor. Portland held the rest of the magic to just 17 of 57 shooting (29.8 percent), including a 1 of 14 performance from Paolo Banchero.
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READ: NBA: Magic Lose to Franz Wagner for the same injury as Paolo Banchero’s
Banchero’s eight points were his fewest since a six-point outing on November 29, 2023.
Meanwhile, the Blazers complemented their best defensive showing of the season with a balanced scoring effort. Five Blazers scored in double figures, led by Anfernee Simons with 21 points.
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All five Portland starters scored at least eight points. Toumani Camara finished with 16, Deni Avdija scored 13 and Jerami Grant had 12. Robert Williams III had 12 rebounds in the game to go with eight points and four blocked shots.
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Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) shoots over Portland Path Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (Picture /John Raoux)
Jabari Walker came off the bench to score 10 and hit six steals in his career. Walker’s defense helped Portland force Orlando to 22 turnovers.
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The Blazers led the entire second half, but didn’t take full control until the final portion of the fourth quarter when they outscored the Magic 21-10 in the final 6:50. Portland’s run was 21-7 before a Jett Howard triple in the final seconds.
Portland held Orlando to field goal droughts of 2:11 and 2:19 over that stretch.
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Howard scored 10 off the bench for the Magic and Tristan da Silva added 16. The duo was responsible for all but one of Orlando’s six 3-pointers, with Da Silva shooting 2-for-5 and Howard going 3-for-4. Anthony Black, who scored 12 , it was 1 for 1 beyond the arc.
Portland shot 9 of 28 from 3-point range, but dominated with a 58-30 advantage in points in the paint. The Blazers shot 31 of 54 (57.4 percent) on 2-point field goal attempts. –Average field level LED
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