A key Orlando Magic player has been sidelined once again for Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons.
Magic forward Franz Wagner (right calf strain) was listed as out on the availability report on Thursday, April 30, after missing Game 5 on Wednesday.
The Pistons won the game at Little Caesars Arena, 116-109, to fight off elimination and force another game in Orlando on Friday.
Wagner, who spent two years in college at Michigan, exited Game 4 in Orlando on Monday late in the third quarter with 19 points. The forward has been key to the Magic’s success this season, and they missed his presence on Wednesday.
“I hate to miss any game, especially in this situation,” Wagner told reporters in the locker room before Game 5. “I think there are things that are really important. Obviously, we know the history of other guys who have gotten hurt. You’ve got to be careful with this kind of injury.”
Wagner was Orlando’s primary defender, over the first four games of the series, on Cade Cunningham, who set a Pistons playoff record with 45 points in their Game 5 win. According to NBA Stats, Cunningham shot 7-for-22 through the first four games with Wagner as his assignment. Pontiac native and Oakland alumnus Jamal Cain replaced Wagner in the starting lineup but struggled to slow Cunningham and finished with five points and four rebounds while going 3-for-7 at the free throw line.
According to Cleaning The Glass, the Magic performed like a 51-win team when Wagner was on the court this season, and a 38-win team when he was on the bench or sidelined with an injury. They measurably improve on both sides of the court when he plays. He’s a plus-5.1 in the playoffs, the highest mark on Orlando’s roster.
Wagner was limited to just 34 games in 2025-26 due to an ankle sprain and other injuries, and averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
In addition to Cain, the Magic will also lean on Tristan Da Silva, who started 34 games during the regular season and only scored three points in 16 minutes on Wednesday.
Orlando has other defensive options in its starting lineup should it start Da Silva, most notably putting feisty point-of-attack guard Jalen Suggs on Cunningham. Suggs has most often been roaming as a help defender off Ausar Thompson.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Franz Wagner injury update: Magic star ruled out in Game 6 vs Pistons
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