Franz Wagner scored 27 points and Desmond Bane had 22 to fuel the host Orlando Magic to a 123-110 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday in an NBA Cup Group B game.
Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points as the Magic overcame Jaylen Brown’s 32-point, nine-rebound performance to record their third win in their last four games.
Paolo Banchero collected 15 points and nine rebounds, Jalen Suggs scored 14 points and Anthony Black added 13 off the bench for Orlando.
Brown made 15 of 28 shots from the floor to reach the 30-point plateau for the third time in a row and fifth time in six games.
Payton Pritchard finished with 27 points and Derrick White collected 16 points and 10 assists for the Celtics, who have lost three of their last four games overall. They fell to 1-1 in NBA Cup action after recording a 109-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday.
The teams will reconvene in Orlando for a rematch on Sunday.
Anfernee Simons sank three 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to give Boston a 94-93 lead. However, Orlando countered with a 15-5 run. Wagner, Bane and Carter each converted from beyond the arc during that stretch to essentially seal the win.
The Celtics slowly erased a 16-point lead and tied the game at 62-62 after Pritchard’s 3-pointer early in the third quarter. Suggs answered with his own 3-pointer and Wagner countered with a three-point play for the Magic.
Orlando sank 7 of 12 shots from 3-point range to secure a 38-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Celtics whittled their deficit down to four points at 43-39 in the second, however, Suggs converted from beyond the arc to ignite an 8-0 stretch before Orlando settled for a 59-51 lead at halftime.
