Orlando Magic third-year guard Cole Anthony underwent imaging after Wednesday’s 103-92 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which confirmed a proper inside indirect muscle damage.
Anthony will sit for Friday’s house recreation vs. the Charlotte Hornets and his return to play will rely upon how he responds to rehabilitation and therapy, the Magic mentioned in an announcement Thursday morning.
Whereas it wasn’t clear as of Thursday how or when Anthony suffered the damage, it appeared Anthony damage his proper midsection on a drive in the course of the center of the fourth quarter when Cavaliers ahead Cedi Osman blocked his floater with 4:55 remaining.
Osman hit Anthony within the higher physique whereas contesting his shot, forcing Anthony to lose his steadiness within the air and fall on his proper aspect.
Anthony slowly bought up after Terrence Ross fouled Donovan Mitchell on the following possession and closed out the sport, ending with 9 factors (2-of-10 taking pictures), 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 32 minutes.
His damage is the most recent hit to the Magic’s guard depth, with Markelle Fultz (fractured left large toe), Gary Harris (left knee damage restoration) and Jalen Suggs (sprained proper ankle) additionally sidelined for Friday. Jonathan Isaac (left knee damage restoration) and Moe Wagner (sprained proper midfoot) gained’t play vs. the Hornets, both.
Anthony’s averaging 15.5 factors (41.5% from the sphere — 45.5% on 2s, 35% on 3s), 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 30.5 minutes (4 video games). He missed the season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons due to an sickness.
It wasn’t referred to as of Thursday when the Magic’s injured gamers may return. The crew, like many across the NBA, doesn’t publicly disclose return-to-play timelines after accidents.
Suggs sprained his ankle within the Oct. 21 street loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He was sporting a boot over his foot throughout final Saturday’s home-opening loss to the Boston Celtics. Wagner was injured in the course of the preseason finale vs. the Cavaliers on Oct. 14.
Fultz has been sidelined since fracturing the toe in mid-September forward of coaching camp whereas Harris hasn’t performed since having arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee on Aug. 31 after tearing his meniscus.
Isaac hasn’t performed since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee within the NBA bubble on Aug. 2, 2020. The lone setback Isaac had got here in mid-March when he suffered a proper hamstring damage that required surgical procedure.
With Anthony sidelined, rookie ahead Paolo Banchero and second-year ahead Franz Wagner may carry a extra vital offensive load than they have already got.
Wagner’s per-game stat line is much like final season, 16.4 factors, 5.6 rebounds and 4 assists in 35 minutes by way of 5 video games in comparison with 15.2 factors, 4.5 rebounds and a pair of.9 assists in 30.7 minutes (79) video games in 2021-22, however his utilization has been considerably completely different.
He’s been tasked with extra ball-handling duties — working extra choose and rolls because the ball handler, taking pictures fewer spot-up photographs and chopping much less. For Wagner, the change in function has resulted in additional playmaking alternatives but additionally turnovers (3.2 in comparison with 1.5 final season) as he adjusts to organising the offense extra.
Banchero, who turned the seventh participant in NBA historical past to start out his profession with 5 consecutive 20-point video games along with his 29-point-8 rebound-4 assist-2 block displaying Wednesday, has been an offensive focus.
His team-high utilization charge of 29.7% is the league’s Twenty first-highest mark amongst gamers who performed in no less than three video games getting into Thursday. Banchero leads the Magic in scoring with 24 factors (44.8% taking pictures — 50% on 2s and 28.6% on 3s) to go along with 7.6 rebounds and three.2 assists. His adjusted assists, a participant’s mixed assists, free-throw assists and secondary assists, of three.6 is second on the crew behind Anthony (5.5) and Franz Wagner (4.6).
Third-year guard R.J. Hampton, who was a wholesome scratch Wednesday, may additionally get extra taking part in time due to the accidents.
It regarded like Hampton was going to have a extra vital function off the bench after averaging 21.9 minutes in 5 preseason video games however that hasn’t occurred but. He’s averaged 11 minutes as a reserve in 4 video games after averaging 21.9 minutes and taking part in in all 64 video games (14 begins) he was obtainable for final season.
Friday will likely be Steve Clifford’s first recreation teaching in Orlando since he and the Magic “mutually agreed” to half methods in the summertime of 2021.
Clifford re-joined the Hornets (2-2) as the pinnacle coach in June after being Charlotte’s coach from 2013-18 earlier than being the Magic’s coach from 2018-21.
This text first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. E mail Khobi Worth at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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