Jazz 96, Magic 95. Then Orlando answered with an 18-3 burst that pushed the game decisively toward the Magic — though the night still had several minutes left after that run ended. Orlando eventually defeated Utah 123-108 on Wednesday, and the closing stretch belonged to a group effort rather than a single heroic scorer.
Franz Wagner supplied the headline, reaching 38 points to match his best career total. Desmond Bane supplied the secondary punch that made the headline possible. Anthony Black kept the offense moving into good hands, while Jevon Carter added timely perimeter scoring from the bench.
Orlando finished its four-game road trip 2-2 and earned a second consecutive victory because the late response had more than one source.
The pivotal sequence began after Brice Sensabaugh’s 26-foot 3-pointer gave Utah a 96-95 lead at 8:01 of the fourth quarter. Wagner put Orlando back ahead with a driving layup at 6:30, making the score 100-98. Bane then hit a 26-foot 3-pointer at 6:07 for a 103-98 Magic advantage.
Wagner added a 29-foot 3-pointer at 5:23, and Bane made another from 29 feet at 4:13 after Wagner’s assist. By the time Black made two free throws with 3:39 remaining, Orlando led 113-99 and had completed the 18-3 response.
That sequence was not simply Wagner finding another gear. Bane finished with 25 points, shot 9-for-16 and made 7 of 11 3-pointers. His range punished Utah’s brief advantage before it could become a prolonged possession-by-possession contest. The Jazz had just taken control of the scoreboard; Orlando answered with two long Bane makes wrapped around Wagner’s own shotmaking.
Black’s contribution came through several channels. He scored 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out eight assists. His 24-foot 3-pointer at 11:46 gave Orlando an early fourth-quarter lead, and his free throws at 3:39 stretched the margin after the Magic had regained it.
With 1:04 left, Black assisted Goga Bitadze on an alley-oop dunk that put Orlando ahead 120-105. He was not merely the third scorer in a tidy box score. He helped connect the scoring, the inside game and the late possessions that Utah could no longer make uncomfortable.
Carter gave the supporting cast some welcome depth. He scored 11 points, made 3 of 10 3-pointers and recorded four assists without a turnover. His 3-pointer at 7:39 put Orlando ahead 98-96, and another at 3:05 — this time assisted by Bane — made it 116-101.
The misses explain why his night was not an efficient shooting showcase. The makes explain why his role mattered. They arrived while Utah was still within striking distance and kept Orlando from placing every late possession on Wagner or Black.
