The Orlando Magic made the first NBA game played in Berlin even more memorable, rallying from a 20-point deficit in the second quarter to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 118-111.
Orlando trailed 52-32 at the 8:02 mark of the second quarter following a Jaren Jackson Jr. floater. But the Magic began chipping away at the large deficit from there. Five minutes later, Orlando cut the lead to 52-42 on two Tristan da Silva free throws. An 11-0 Magic run was finally stopped by a Santi Aldama 3-pointer. Yet Orlando continued its comeback, trimming the margin to 67-58 at halftime on a Paolo Banchero 3 with 2.5 seconds remaining.
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The halftime break didn’t cool off Orlando at all, as the Magic outscored Memphis 26-12 in the third quarter. Franz Wagner and Anthony Black hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Grizzlies’ lead to 69-64, and Orlando pulled to within two points on a Banchero jumper at the 10:23 point. Orlando finally took the lead less than two minutes later with another Black 3 to go on top 71-70.
Black put an exclamation point on the victory, providing a play to remember with a dunk over four Grizzlies defenders in the lane with 2:27 remaining that gave Orlando a 109-107 lead.
The matchup at Berlin’s Uber Arena was the NBA’s first regular-season game in the country. Three of Orlando’s players — Franz and Moritz Wagner, in addition to da Silva — are from Germany. Orlando and Memphis will play each other again in London on Sunday. The games are part of the NBA’s initiative to increase its popularity in Europe and set a path toward launching a European league in a partnership with FIBA.
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Banchero led Orlando with 26 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Black followed with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, shooting 4-for-7 on 3s. Franz Wagner added 18 points and 9 boards (5 on the offensive side). With the win, the Magic improved to 23-18, giving them a half-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Jackson scored a game-high 30 points for Memphis, hitting 3-of-5 3-pointers. Aldama contributed 18 off the bench, nailing all four of his 3-point attempts. Desmond Bane scored 13 in his first game versus his former team since being traded to Orlando last June. And Cedric Coward added 17 points for the Grizzlies, who dropped to 17-23 with the defeat. That places them 10th in the West, tied with the Los Angeles Clippers.
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The Magic-Grizzlies matchup in London tips off at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday. Memphis hopes star guard Ja Morant will play after missing Thursday’s game with a right calf injury.
