Magic coach Mosley: Franz Wagner 'not afraid of big moments'

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley praised forward Franz Wagner after he had his best outing of the season in Thursday's 119-118 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

"He's not afraid of big moments, and that's what we've asked him to do," Mosley said Saturday, according to Dan Savage of NBA.com. "I could not be happier for this team. But for him, who puts in such an amazing amount of work, and to see that fall is just (great)."

The 6-foot-10 star put up 37 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, and four steals against the Lakers. He recorded four threes, none bigger than his game-winning triple with 2.5 seconds remaining.

With Paolo Banchero sidelined, Wagner is thriving as Orlando's first scoring option: He's averaging career highs in points (23.2), assists (5.4), rebounds (5.6), and steals (1.7).

The 23-year-old became the third player in franchise history to record 35-plus points and 10-plus assists in a contest. He joins Penny Hardaway and Tracy McGrady, who each achieved the feat three times.

The Magic are 7-1 in their last eight games, and Wagner leads the team with 28.1 points and 6.9 assists per contest in that span.

"He is a young man that wants to do all of the right things by the game of basketball, by his work ethic, by professionalism and by the teammate that he is," Mosley said. "He wants to do all of the right things."

The Magic sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 10-7 record. They'll look to remain undefeated at home when they clash with the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.