Magic beat Hornets but lose Jonathan Isaac to season-ending surgery
The Orlando Magic’ s Friday ended on a high note— a 117-106 road win over the Charlotte Hornets— but they received bad news throughout the day. The Magic didn’ t allow the bad breaks to deter them, picking up a victory at Spectrum Center over the Hornets. The Hornets, led by Kelly Oubre Jr.’ s 29 points and 10 rebounds, didn’ t go away easily.
The Orlando Magic’s Friday ended on a high note — a 117-106 road win over the Charlotte Hornets — but they received bad news throughout the day.
First was the team announcing that sixth-year forward Jonathan Isaac had surgery in the morning to repair a torn left adductor muscle (inner thigh) and will miss the remainder of the regular season.
More misfortune came when second-year forward Franz Wagner left Friday’s game because of a sprained left ankle he suffered midway through the second quarter.
The Magic (27-37) didn’t allow the bad breaks to deter them, picking up a victory at Spectrum Center over the Hornets (20-45).
Rookie forward Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 31 points (13-of-26 shooting), 6 rebounds and 5 assists, including 16 points in a third quarter during which the Magic took a 24-point lead.
The Hornets, led by Kelly Oubre Jr.’s 29 points and 10 rebounds, didn’t go away easily. Charlotte cut Orlando’s lead to 7 multiple times, including 107-100 with 4:24 remaining.
But the Magic never lost the advantage, closing out their road trip 2-1.
Cole Anthony added 16 points (6-of-10 shooting), 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench.
Jalen Suggs, who started the second half in place of Wagner, had 15 points and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes. Reserve big man Moe Wagner added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
It wasn’t known as of Friday evening what the status of Franz Wagner (9 points on 3-of-5 shooting in 14 minutes) will be for Sunday’s home game vs. the Portland Trail Blazers. X-rays on the ankle were negative, meaning that the x-ray didn’t show any damage. He’s missed just three games because of injury since being the No. 8 pick in the 2021 draft.
Isaac’s 2022-23 was cut short less than two months after making his long-awaited comeback.
He had an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed the injury, after he felt discomfort following Tuesday’s practice in Milwaukee.
Isaac was sidelined for three consecutive games entering Friday, being listed as out because of a strained right hamstring/adductor.
He didn’t travel with the team to New Orleans for Monday’s 101-93 win over the Pelicans, staying in Central Florida to undergo further evaluations.
Isaac rejoined the team in Milwaukee Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Bucks and was listed as questionable for the matchup but was ruled out 3½ hours ahead of tipoff.
The Magic were operating with an abundance of caution with Isaac after he was sidelined for 2½ years before returning to the court in late January.
Isaac was sidelined from August 2020 until Jan. 11 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Aug. 2, 2020, during the league’s restart in its Disney World bubble.
He had surgery on the right hamstring last March while rehabbing from the left knee injury.
Isaac made his return with the Magic’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, earlier this year and played three games for Lakeland before making his return to Orlando in the Jan. 23 win over the Boston Celtics.
He’ll end the season with averages of 5 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 11.3 minutes (11 games).
“Our thoughts are with Jonathan, whose fortitude in dealing with adversity is unique,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. We will be by his side as he focuses on the work ahead.”
Isaac is in the second year of a 4-year, $69.6 million contract he signed with Orlando in December 2020 — four months after his ACL injury.
Because he didn’t play last season, his $17.4 million salaries for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons are partially or non-guaranteed because of an Exhibit 3 (Prior Injury Exclusion) clause in his contract, according to ESPN.
He’s guaranteed $7.4 million for 2023-24 (fully guaranteed $17.4 million after Jan. 10, 2024) and has a non-guaranteed salary for 2024-25 (fully guaranteed $17.4 million if he’s on the roster past Jan. 10, 2025).
Isaac has struggled with lower-body injuries since being drafted with the No. 6 pick in 2017. He’s only played in 147 of 455 possible regular-season games.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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