Magic starter gets hurt, heads to locker room vs. Sixers

Orlando might be down another key member against Philadelphia.

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley during practice prior to the Emirates Cup semifinals. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Orlando Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. is going to the locker room in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Carter was tending to his abdomen during the second half as part of a physical matchup with 76ers big man Joel Embiid.

Carter has 13 points and seven rebounds so far for the Magic, proving to be a key part to the equation against the Sixers.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey drives to the basket past Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Carter hurt vs. Sixers

Carter returned to the bench, but it remains to be seen if he will come back on the court for the Magic. Earlier this week, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley spoke about Carter's impact that he has on the team.

“I can never say enough about Wendell Carter Jr," Mosley said after the team's win against the Indiana Pacers.

"What he does without even having to get a shot, get a play run for him... he just does everything the right way. And he’s just continuing to try to just play, setting solid screens, hitting rollers, guarding multiple positions without batting an eye. And I think that just says so much about how much he means to this team, and how his toughness and his level of consistency has been great for us this year."

Carter is the team's leading rebounder behind former No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game. He has emerged as the face of the team's defensive toughness on the post, which has become a positive in his game. The hope for the Magic is that Carter's injury isn't too serious and that he will be able to come back on the court soon.

Carter spoke about the ability to push his body during training camp.

"Throughout the game, you're going to get tired. There's no one in this league that doesn't get tired. But the ones that separates the good teams from the great teams is the ones that mostly push themselves past that fourth wall," Carter said.

"So I think that's something that as we want to be a running team, want to be able to get up and down and down and still be a great defensive team. It just takes a lot of effort and a lot of commitment to doing it."

Update: Carter returned to the game in the fourth quarter.

Fans can watch the second half of the game between the 76ers and Magic on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.