Franz Wagner returned to the Orlando Magic lineup Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring a team-high 20 points in a 101-79 home loss.
Wagner had missed 20 games with a torn oblique.
He and All-Star power forward Paolo Banchero were paired for just the sixth time this season. Banchero missed 34 games with the same injury as Wagner before returning in late December.
Wagner added four rebounds and a block in his 24 minutes of action. Banchero had 8 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks.
“It’s gigantic,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said ahead of the game. “We talk about the pieces coming back together, us being whole again, slowly but surely. … With all the standards he has set as a leader, having him back is going to be big.”
The Magic went 7-13 without Wagner. Orlando also lost center Moritz Wagner, Franz’s older brother, to a season-ending knee injury, and guard Jalen Suggs, who missed his 10th game with a lower back strain.
Orlando was 16-9 before 23-year-old Franz Wagner went out. He scored 30 or more points in eight of 14 games before getting injured, and ranked 16th in the NBA in scoring at 24.4 points.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.