The magic emerged victorious in their fourth and final preseason tune-up on Friday. However, they did not remain unscathed.
How Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes, star forward Franz Wagner (right shoulder soreness) and second-year reserves Noah Penda (right hamstring strain) and Jace Richardson (sore lower back) all sat out the win over Miami due to injuries.
According to Bidde, Wagner was ejected from the game with about eight minutes left in the third quarter after grabbing his right arm following a 3-pointer. It was switched off at the end of the same period.
At one point, Richardson appeared to pull his back up as he began grabbing her mid-attack. Bied says the former Michigan State guard walked off the court on his own, although he did so “slowly.”
It looks like Penda’s injury could be problematic. The French forward stole the ball late in the first quarter and had a quick breakaway opportunity, but went limp and hobbled into the locker room. Penda has been dealing with a right hamstring strain during training camp, Bidet notes:
Here’s more about magic:
- For now Anthony Black (dislocated right ankle) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee) did not play on Friday, they both participated in practice on Thursday, Beede wrote in another storyand also worked on the court before Friday’s game (Link to video on Twitter via Beede). That suggests they could be active in next week’s regular season opener. “He’s doing a good job, moving well and feeling good, so we’ll keep it going” Sweeney said of Black, who is eligible for a rookie-scale extension before Monday’s deadline.
- Before Friday’s back injury, Richardson had shown “tremendous growth” during the preseason, according to the starting center Wendell Carter Jrwho believes the 21-year-old guard will continue to flourish in his second season. “Point guard is a tough position to be in when you have to command the floor and tell everyone where you are“, – said Carter, translated Trouble. “He is very good at it. Defensively, he embraces that challenge every time he’s on the court. He’s a very high IQ guy who plays with a sense of speed, but he’s definitely in control every time he goes and does something. He’s just one of those guys that’s going to continue to grow and develop into a really good NBA player.â Richardson also received praise from the head coach Sean Sweeney– adds Bide.
- In an extensive Q&A with Chris Mannix of SI.comSweeney talks about his NBA journey, why he wanted to join the Magic, his thoughts on the roster and more.
