Franz Wagner and Zaccharie Risacher Shine with 24 Points Each as Preseason Action Heats Up

German player Franz Wagner led the charge for the Orlando Magic, scoring a game-high 24 points with an impressive shooting performance of 8-of-14 from the field, as they triumphed over the New Orleans Pelicans, 132-125, at the Kia Center.

As the NBA Preseason 2025 schedule concluded on Thursday, the 24-year-old combo forward also contributed three assists and two steals in 25 minutes of play. The Magic’s European contingent was bolstered by three bench players: German Tristan da Silva contributed seven points, Georgian Goga Bitadze added six points, and French player Noah Penda scored one point, while Moritz Wagner, also from Germany, was unable to participate due to injury.

On the other side, Croatian Karlo Matkovic remained on the bench throughout the preseason finale.

Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher notched 24 points, while Latvian Kristaps Porzingis delivered a strong performance with 23 points and 13 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for the Atlanta Hawks, who fell to the Houston Rockets, 133-115, at State Farm Arena. Czech player Vit Krejci scored three points, but teammates Eli Ndiaye from Spain and another Serbian player did not see action in this last exhibition before the start of the 2025-26 Regular Season. Turkish Alperen Sengun and Swiss Clint Capela were rested by the Rockets.

In a closely contested match at Delta Center, Finnish Lauri Markkanen and Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk each scored 15 points, helping the Utah Jazz narrowly defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, 132-129. Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic provided an additional 12 points off the bench. For the Trail Blazers, Israeli Deni Avdija managed eight points before leaving due to upper back stiffness, while French teammates Sidy Cissoko and Rayan Rupert added seven and three points, respectively, but Belgian Toumani Camara was not in action.

French player Alex Sarr made a noteworthy contribution with ten points and nine rebounds, although the Washington Wizards lost to the Detroit Pistons, 119-98, at Little Caesars Arena. His fellow starter, Swiss Kyshawn George, achieved a game-high 20 points, while Serbian Tristan Vukcevic scored seven points. Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly did not play in the game, and for the Pistons, Swedish Bobi Klintman contributed two points.

Lithuanian Matas Buzelis scored 19 points and Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic achieved a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 126-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the United Center. French player Noa Essengue added two points to the Bulls’ tally. On the Timberwolves’ side, Frenchman Rudy Gobert scored 12 points, Italian Donte DiVincenzo finished with nine points, and Frenchman Joan Beringer contributed four points.

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