Franz Wagner points to “self-inflicted” mistakes after Orlando’s loss to Hawks

The The Orlando Magic fell to 1–1 on the young season after falling 111–107 to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at the Kia Center. Despite another strong individual performance from Franz Wagnerturnovers and missed free throws proved costly in the team’s first loss of the year.

Wagner led the Magic with 27 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal while shooting 10-for-17 from the field, 2-for-5 from beyond the arc and 5-for-6 from the free throw line in 35 minutes. However, his post-match remarks reflected his frustration with self-made team mistakes.

“Yeah, it hurts a lot,” Wagner said. “I feel like we kind of beat ourselves — not to take credit away from Atlanta, but I think a lot of the mistakes we made were self-inflicted and we have to fix them.”

Franz Wagner, Jamahl Mosley cite turnovers and missed free throws as key factors in the loss to the Hawks

The 24-year-old forward, now in his fifth NBA season, also noted the team’s struggle to maintain an offensive rhythm late in the game.

“I think you’re going to have downs,” Wagner said. “I honestly thought going into that third quarter when they were running, we had some really good looks, we just couldn’t get them going and then we kind of stalled in the fourth. Just find the next play and play faster in the half as well. It’s not going to be that fast, especially towards the end of the game, so that’s when the execution is more important.”

The Magic’s offensive mistakes were glaring. Orlando committed 22 turnovers, which the Hawks converted into 20 points. Meanwhile, the Magic missed 13 free throws, finishing 24 of 37 from the line. Those missed opportunities ultimately kept the game within reach for Atlanta, which shot 21 of 28 from the stripe.

Head coach Jamal Moseley echoed Wagner’s assessment, noting that missed free throws changed the momentum of the game.

“I think that was it,” Mosley said. “You get to the free throw line 37 times, you go 24-for-37, you don’t give yourself a chance there. Those are opportunities that can kind of break an opponent’s back when you knock them down – it goes from a 10-point lead to a possible 15-point lead, but when you miss them, they have a chance to come back down the stretch.”

Mosley is urging the Magic to tighten up their defense as Wagner’s strong start continues

Defensively, Orlando also had difficulty containing Atlanta’s penetration. The Hawks scored 58 points and took advantage of deficiencies in the Magic’s rotation, especially during second-chance and transition opportunities.

“We have to sit back and watch our backyard,” Mosley said. “Understanding who we’re closing on, those attacking the middle of the floor — we’ve got to be better there. We’re just closing gaps and showing early help and then coming out.”

Wagner’s consistency, however, continued to stand out through two games. He is averaging 25.5 points, five rebounds and four assists while shooting 55.9% from the field and 40% from three. Mosley praised Wagner’s assertiveness on both sides.

“Just the sheer level of aggression,” Mosley said. “Getting out in transition, getting some early easy baskets – make or miss, looking to get out and run, just putting pressure on the defense, getting to the paint, touching the paint, and then we can make a play from there.”

The The Magic will look to regroup quickly as they host the Chicago Bulls (1-0) on Saturday night at 19:00 ET to complete their three-game homestand. After two competitive outings, Orlando’s next test will be to maintain the early-season momentum while limiting the costly mistakes that defined Friday’s loss.