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

German player Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic to a narrow victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, scoring a game-high 24 points with an impressive shooting performance of 8 out of 14 from the field, resulting in a score of 132-125 at the Kia Center.

With the NBA Preseason 2025 coming to a close on Thursday, the 24-year-old forward also contributed with three assists and two steals in 25 minutes of play. The Magic featured additional European talent in their lineup, including German Tristan da Silva, who scored seven points; Georgian Goga Bitadze, who added six; and French player Noah Penda, who managed one point, all while German Moritz Wagner remained unavailable.

On the opposing team, Croatian Karlo Matkovic watched from the bench during the preseason finale.

In a separate matchup, French player Zaccharie Risacher netted 24 points, while Latvian Kristaps Porzingis achieved a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks, who suffered a defeat of 133-115 against the Houston Rockets at State Farm Arena. Czech player Vit Krejci contributed three points, but Spanish Eli Ndiaye and Serbian players did not see action in this final exhibition before the regular season of 2025-26. The Rockets chose to rest Turkish Alperen Sengun and Swiss Clint Capela.

Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen and Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk both scored 15 points each, guiding the Utah Jazz to a close 132-129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Delta Center. Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic provided 12 points off the bench. On the Trail Blazers’ side, Israeli Deni Avdija put up eight points before leaving the game due to upper back discomfort. French teammates Sidy Cissoko and Rayan Rupert contributed seven and three points, respectively, while Belgian Toumani Camara was unable to play.

French player Alex Sarr wrapped up the preseason with ten points and nine rebounds, but the Washington Wizards lost to the Detroit Pistons, 119-98, at Little Caesars Arena. Swiss player Kyshawn George matched the game-high with 20 points, while Serbian Tristan Vukcevic scored seven, but French player Bilal Coulibaly did not feature. For the Pistons, Swedish player Bobi Klintman added two points.

Lithuanian Matas Buzelis scored 19 points, and Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic registered a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds, helping the Chicago Bulls secure a 126-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the United Center. French player Noa Essengue contributed two points. For the Timberwolves, French player Rudy Gobert scored 12 points, Italian Donte DiVincenzo had nine, and French player Joan Beringer managed four points.

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