Orlando’s Moe Wagner, his younger brother Franz and Tristan da Silva are ready to embrace a homecoming on Thursday when the Magic and Memphis Grizzlies tip off their European tour in Berlin.
The German-born trio will compete at the 17,000-seat Uber Arena on Thursday. The game serves as the 14th featuring an NBA team in Germany since 1984, and the league’s first regular-season contest in the country.
“We’re here driving through the city, we’re seeing our friends (and) we’re combining our two worlds together,” Moe Wagner said, per the Orlando Sentinel. “That means the world to us. So, that’s the main thing for me.”
The teams will reconvene at The O2 in London on Sunday.
Moe Wagner returned to the court last Sunday for the first time since tearing his left ACL in December 2024. He recorded eight points in 10 minutes off the bench in the Magic’s 128-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Franz Wagner is available to join him on the court Thursday after missing Orlando’s past 16 games due to an ankle injury.
“I feel good,” Franz Wagner said, per the Orlando Sentinel. “It felt good to move a little bit after the long flight. And I’m excited for Thursday.”
So are the Magic, given Franz Wagner has averaged a robust 22.7 points and 6.1 rebounds over 24 games this season. The German-born da Silva contributes 9.8 points for Orlando, which has alternated wins and losses over its past 14 games.
Former Grizzlies forward Desmond Bane (27 points), Anthony Black (26) and Paolo Banchero (23) combined for 76 points in the win over the Pelicans.
Bane will be facing his former team for the first time since he was traded to Orlando along with a 2026 first-round selection on June 15 for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Yang Hansen and a number of draft picks.
“I was hoping it’s gonna be in Memphis. It’s still really cool, really special to be able to play against them and share a court with some friends and family. It’s very special,” Bane said.
The Grizzlies lost six of their previous seven games before posting a 103-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
Cedric Coward sank two late 3-pointers to highlight his 21-point performance.
Disgruntled Ja Morant previously said he “hopefully” will return to action after a five-game absence with a right calf contusion. Morant, however, has been ruled out for the Thursday game.
Memphis coach Tuomas Iisalo also expressed a semblance of optimism on Morant’s potential return, saying “there is a chance he will play in the global games.”
That said, the Grizzlies have been open to saying that the team is entertaining offers for Morant ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Iisalo wasn’t interested in heading in that direction.
“We are not in the business of commenting on random internet reports,” Iisalo said of the two-time All-Star. “He’s progressing in the practices. He’s already able to do a lot of the parts of practice, so looking good to progress (toward playing).”
Morant was officially listed as a game-time decision in Wednesday’s injury report.
–Field Level Media
