Basketball world champion Moritz Wagner’s full physical effort was not enough for the Orlando Magic to win in the second playoff game either.
In the 86:96 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Franz Wagner’s older brother even threw himself into a fan in the front row while fighting for the ball with five minutes left, allowing his team to score a basket. The older man appeared to have injured his upper arm in the scene; Wagner asked about his health during a break.
Despite the 12-0 run, it was no longer enough for the Magic to stage a comeback. Orlando now goes into the first home playoff game of the Wagner brothers’ NBA careers with a 0-2 deficit.
Franz Wagner recorded 18 points. His brother Moritz had 12 points, but in the end he had too many fouls and was not allowed to finish the game. As in the first game, Orlando had difficulties, especially in attack, only nine of 35 three-point attempts went in, and the overall hit rate was just 36.3 percent.
Victory for Hartenstein and the Knicks
Isaiah Hartenstein and the New York Knicks, on the other hand, achieved their second win in a duel with the Philadelphia 76ers. Hartenstein played a huge part in the 104:101. 13 seconds before the end, a rebound in the attack enabled the three-pointer to make it 102:101, and in the following attack by the 76ers, Hartenstein blocked a layup by Tyrese Maxey. The fans in Madison Square Garden celebrated Hartenstein frenetically after the action. Maxey was the best scorer of the game with 35 points, ahead of his teammate Joel Embiid, who had 34 points. Josh Hart was the most successful for the Knicks with 21 points.
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another defeat in Denver, this time in dramatic fashion. Against the defending champions, the record champions were ahead by 20 points at times and were only behind in the first few minutes – until Jamal Murray scored while the clock was running out to make it 101:99 and give the Nuggets a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven game. series. Both teams faced each other in the Western Conference finals last year. The Nuggets won that series 4-0 and went on to win the title.