Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard, front left, and Portland Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker, front right, go after a loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
The Portland Trail Blazers used a stifling defensive effort to spoil Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner’s return and scored their second three-game winning streak of the NBA season with a 101-79 road rout on Thursday.
Wagner, who missed 20 games with an oblique injury, scored a team-high 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor. Portland held the rest of the Magic to just 17-of-57 shooting (29.8 percent), including a 1-of-14 performance by Paolo Banchero.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: NBA: Magic lose Franz Wagner to same injury as Paolo Banchero’s
FEATURED STORIES SPORTS Australian Open: Novak Djokovic retires injured to put Zverev in final SPORTS Ginebra notches record 47th straight PBA quarterfinal appearance SPORTS NBA: Stephen Curry, bench players carry Warriors past BullsBanchero’s eight points were his fewest since a six-point outing on Nov. 29, 2023.
The Blazers, meanwhile, complemented their best defensive showing of the season with a balanced scoring effort. Five Blazers scored in double figures, led by Anfernee Simons with 21 points.
Article continues after this advertisementAll five Portland starters scored at least eight points. Toumani Camara finished with 16, Deni Avdija scored 13 and Jerami Grant had 12. Robert Williams III grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with eight points and four blocked shots.
Article continues after this advertisementOrlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
fowl play goldJabari Walker came off the bench to score 10 and swiped a career-high six steals. Walker’s defense helped Portland force 22 Orlando turnovers.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Blazers led the entire second half, but did not take complete control until the latter portion of the fourth quarter when they outscored the Magic 21-10 in the final 6:50. Portland’s run was 21-7 before a Jett Howard 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Portland held Orlando to field-goal droughts of 2:11 and 2:19 over that stretch.
Article continues after this advertisementHoward scored 10 off the bench for the Magic and Tristan da Silva added 16. The duo was responsible for all but one of Orlando’s six made 3-pointers, with da Silva shooting 2-of-5 and Howard going 3-of-4. Anthony Black, who scored 12, went 1-for-1 beyond the arc.
Portland shot 9-of-28 from 3-point range but dominated with a 58-30 advantage in points in the paint. The Blazers shot 31 of 54 (57.4 percent) on 2-point field-goal attempts. –Field Level Media
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The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) went up by 0.22 percent to 7,326.41 while All Shares also rose 0.24 percent to 4,024.72.
While a much-anticipated briefing on Saturday failed to deliver a hoped-for overall figure on stimulussigebet, Lan Fo’an did set out plans to boost the beleaguered property sector, ramp up borrowing, and work to get banks lending more.
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