Paolo Banchero had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Franz Wagner had 18 points and nine rebounds in his return to the Magic lineup, and Orlando beat the Memphis Grizzlies 118-111 on Thursday in the first game of the NBA regular season in Germany.
Wagner missed more than a month with a high ankle sprain, but was able to return to his native country and play with his brother, Moritz Wagner, for the first time in more than a year.
Moritz Wagner tore his left ACL on December 21, 2024 and returned earlier this week. On Thursday, he had seven points in 14 minutes.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 30 points, Santi Aldama had 18 and Cedric Coward had 17 for the Grizzlies, who have lost seven of nine.
Memphis’ Ja Morant has been sidelined with a right calf injury, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed optimism the two-time All-Star will play Sunday when the Grizzlies and Magic meet again in London.
Anthony Black added 21 points for the Magic, who have won three of four.
The Grizzlies took a 52-32 lead midway through the second quarter, but the Magic clawed their way back to within nine by halftime, then went on a 13-0 run for an 84-73 lead late in the third.
Memphis rallied to take a 105-102 lead on a layup by GG Jackson with 4:05 left in the game. Franz Wagner tied the game with a 3-pointer, then helped the Magic close it out by scoring five points in the final 1:39.
There were some famous faces at NBA Berlin, including Jurgen Klopp
The NBA played its first preseason game in what was then West Germany in 1984. At the time, there were 10 international players on NBA rosters.
This season was opened by a record 135 international players, including 71 from Europe. Tickets were sold to fans in 62 countries for Thursday’s game, the NBA said, and more than 250,000 people tried to get tickets by registering on the league’s website.
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