BERLIN  — Paolo Banchero had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Franz Wagner had 18 points and nine rebounds in his return to the Magic lineup, and Orlando held off the Memphis Grizzlies 118-111 on Thursday in the NBA’s first regular-season game in Germany.

What You Need To Know

The Magic fell behind by 20 points early but came back for a 118-113 against the Grizzlies in Berlin

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 26 points and 13 rebounds

In his first game since suffering a high left ankle sprain on Dec. 7, Orlando’s Wagner scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his hometown

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 30 points to lead Memphis

Wagner had missed more than a month with a high left ankle sprain but was able to return in his native country and play alongside his brother, Moe Wagner, for the first time in more than a year. Moe Wagner tore his left ACL on Dec. 21, 2024 and returned earlier this week. He had seven points in 14 minutes on Thursday.

The Magic and Franz Wagner got off to a slow start, falling behind as much as 20 points early because of hot shooting by the Grizzlies. But Orlando roared back to take the lead in the third quarter and then had to hold off Memphis late in the fourth quarter.

The Grizzlies took a 52-32 lead midway through the second quarter, but the Magic got back within nine by halftime and then went on a 13-0 run for an 84-73 advantage late in the third.

Memphis rallied and led 105-102 on GG Jackson’s layup with 4 minutes, 5 seconds left in the game. Franz Wagner tied it with a 3-pointer and then helped the Magic close it out by scoring five points in the final 1:39.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 30 points, Santi Aldama had 18 and Cedric Coward had 17 for the Grizzlies, who have lost seven of nine.

Memphis’ Ja Morant was sidelined with a right calf injury, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed some optimism that the two-time All-Star will play on Sunday when the Grizzlies and Magic meet again in London.

Anthony Black added 21 points for the Magic, including a monster dunk over four Grizzlies in the fourth quarter.

Orlando has won three of four and got the victory two games in a row for the first time since early December.

The NBA played its first preseason game in what was then West Germany in 1984. At the time, there were 10 international players on NBA rosters.

This season opened with a record 135 international players, including 71 from Europe. Tickets were sold to fans from 62 countries for Thursday’s game, the NBA said, and more than 250,000 people tried to obtain tickets by registering on the league’s site.

Up next

The teams travel to London for their next meeting on Sunday.