The Portland Trail Blazers stretched their winning streak to three games with a dominant 100-79 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, spoiling the return of Franz Wagner.
Anfernee Simons led Portland with 21 points, while Toumani Canara chipped in 16 points and six rebounds. Deni Avdija added 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists, and Jabari Walker made a defensive impact with six steals in just 19 minutes. Filling in at center, Robert Williams grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and anchored the defense with four of Portland’s 12 blocks.
Wagner, back after missing 20 games with a torn oblique, paced the Magic with 20 points in his first game since early December. Rookie Tristan da Silva contributed 16 points off the bench, while Paolo Banchero struggled through a rough shooting night, finishing with just eight points on 1-of-14 shooting, along with nine rebounds and five turnovers.
The Magic’s offensive woes continued as they shot just 34% from the field, coughed up 22 turnovers, and went cold from deep, starting 3-for-18 from three-point range. Orlando, once third in the East at 16-9 before Wagner’s injury, has now dropped to 23-23 and eighth in the standings. They’ve lost five straight and seven of their last eight, with Jalen Suggs still sidelined by a back injury.
The key stretch came late in the third quarter when Shaedon Sharpe capped a 10-1 Portland run with a baseline dunk, pushing the Blazers’ lead to 74-59.
Next up, Portland visits Charlotte on Friday, while Orlando hosts Detroit Saturday.
