Magic rally against Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks in Franz Wagner's return

Orlando has now won three-straight for the first time in nearly three months.

Feb 9, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) drives against Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) during the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic picked up their third-straight win with a 118-99 win over the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks inside Kia Center. As a result, the Magic improved to 28-24, 1.5 games above the Miami Heat for the No. 7 seed and two games back of the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth-and-final playoff spot in the East. What were a few of our takeaways? Let's examine!

Welcome back, Franz Wagner!:

Dec 3, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) and forward Franz Wagner (22) react after a play against the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

After returning for a brief two-game stint overseas against the Memphis Grizzlies last month, Magic star Franz Wagner missed the team's last nine games due to re-aggravating his ankle injury.

Wagner came off the bench in the Magic's 19-point win and didn't miss much of a beat. He scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He was, understandably, on a minutes restriction, seeing the floor for only 16:37. But he looked rejuvenated on both ends of the floor, helping the Magic pull away after it was close for the first two-and-a-half quarters.

He wasn't the only Wagner that played well, either. Moe scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 2-of-3 from deep -- finishing a plus-21 in just 16:08.

The dam had to break, eventually:

Feb 9, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) shoots during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

For the first two-and-a-half quarters, Orlando was playing right into Milwaukee's trap.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers mixed in a zone -- but his team was packing the paint regardless, forcing the Magic, one of the league's worst shooting teams, to pay from 3-point range. Predictably, they didn't. Orlando shot just 4-of-21 from beyond the arc in the first half, ultimately missing 21 of its first 27 triples.

The dam broke over the game's final 17 or so minutes. The Magic went 9-of-17 from beyond the arc over that span with made 3-pointers from Paolo Banchero, Jase Richardson, Franz Wagner ... and a team-high two from Moe Wagner, among others.

Anthony Black's creativity and confidence:

Feb 7, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) passes the ball during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Black was the man of the hour once again for the Magic. He scored a team-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting with five rebounds, two steals and one block in 34 minutes.

He had multiple acrobatic finishes -- not including another near-poster that he couldn't convert. Here they were:

Anthony Black crossover on Turner + eurostep layup pic.twitter.com/coQlCVVsJN

— The Magic Way (@MagicFilmRoom) February 10, 2026

Anthony Black transition driving and-1 finger-roll layup pic.twitter.com/7pqMGgAqLY

— The Magic Way (@MagicFilmRoom) February 10, 2026

Entering the contest, he was converting on 67.7 percent of his 4.3 rim attempts per game, according to Cleaning The Glass. And his creativeness around the rim is why the 6-foot-7 guard is having the best finishing season of his career.

He wasn't moving as fluid or finishing with as much confidence as he was this year.