Magic's Wendell Carter: Gets limited run in return
Rotowire
Carter (hip) played 16 minutes in Sunday's 123-110 loss to the Heat, finishing with zero points (0-3 FG, 0-3 3Pt), four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Carter had missed the Magic's previous two games with left hip soreness, but he was able to finish the season on the court, albeit in a limited capacity. The fifth-year center wrapped up the 2022-23 campaign with averages of 15.2 points and 1.4 three-pointers -- both career highs -- to go with 8.7 boards, 2.3 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.5 steals in 29.6 minutes per game over his 57 appearances.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Starting against Miami
Rotowire
Carter (hip) is in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Carter was initially listed as out for the season finale but got upgraded to questionable Saturday and now will end up starting. It remains to be seen if he'll handle his usual workload, as the team's lottery odds are still in flux, meaning the flow of the game will probably determine Carter's involvement Sunday.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Upgraded to questionable
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Carter (hip) has been upgraded from out to questionable for Sunday's finale against the Heat.
Orlando has now listed all five of its starters as questionable for the regular-season finale. It's possible some scoreboard-watching will take place, as the Magic's lottery odds are still somewhat in flux.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Out for finale
Rotowire
Carter (hip) will not play in Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Carter's absence means his 2022-23 season has ended. He finished the year with averages of 15.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.4 triples across 29.9 minutes in 56 games.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Now listed as out
Rotowire
Carter (hip) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Nets.
After being upgraded from out to questionable earlier Friday, Carter has now been ruled out again and will miss back-to-back contests. His next chance to suit up will come during Orlando's regular-season finale in Miami, but it seems likely the Magic will opt to give players like Bol Bol, Chuma Okeke and Goga Bitadze extended looks over thrusting Carter back into game action with nothing to play for.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Upgraded to questionable
Rotowire
Carter (hip) has been upgraded to questionable for Friday's matchup at Brooklyn.
Thursday night, the Magic ruled out Carter and the rest of the starting lineup for Friday's game but have decided to upgrade them all to questionable as of Friday morning. It's unclear why, given that Orlando ran out a skeleton crew against the Cavaliers on Thursday.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Out Friday
Rotowire
Carter (hip) has been ruled out for Friday's contest against the Nets.
Carter will sit out for a second straight game alongside a majority of Orlando's typical starters, as the team has been eliminated from any postseason play. With Moritz Wagner (ankle) unavailable as well, expect Goga Bitadze and Bol Bol to see extended minutes Friday.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Late scratch Thursday
Rotowire
Carter is out for Thursday's game versus the Cavaliers due to left hip soreness.
With the Magic eliminated from making even the Play-In, many of their starters have been ruled out Thursday. Moritz Wagner, Goga Bitadze and Bol Bol are all candidates to see extended minutes in Carter's absence. The 23-year-old big man's next chance to suit up is Friday's matchup with Brooklyn.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Turns away two shots in loss
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Carter finished Tuesday's 113-108 loss to the Grizzlies with 14 points (5-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 29 minutes.
Carter has fallen short of a double-double in four straight games, but he's still chugging along nicely during that stretch with average or above-average contributions in six categories (15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 three-pointers and 0.8 blocks per game, 55.8 percent shooting from the field, 84.6 percent from the free-throw line). The Magic are 4.5 games behind the Bulls for the final spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, but head coach Jamahl Mosley has thus far shown no inclination to shut down Carter or any of the team's other top contributors.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Top rebounder in near double-double
Rotowire
Carter logged 16 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 0-1 FT) and eight rebounds over 31 minutes during Thursday's 111-106 win over the Knicks.
Carter led the Magic in rebounds while finishing as one of six players in double figures in scoring and ending two boards short of notching a double-double. Carter has posted at least 15 points with five or more rebounds on 29 occasions this year, including in six of his last seven outings.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Dominates in upset victory
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Carter amassed 27 points (11-19 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals across 33 minutes during Saturday's 113-108 win over the Clippers.
Carter was on a mission Saturday, rocking a healthy double-double while adding season-high totals in both blocks and steals. Despite sitting outside the top 100 thus far this season, he has been putting up first-round value over the past two weeks. The Magic don't feel as though they are going to ease up down the stretch, meaning Carter should be locked into heavy minutes, barring any injuries.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Explosive outing in return
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Carter (hip) notched 27 points (12-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 42 minutes during Saturday's 126-114 overtime victory over Miami.
After missing the Magic's previous three games with a hip injury, Carter looked to be fully healthy Saturday while logging a massive workload as the team's starting center. Miami had no answer for Carter inside, where he was a perfect 9-of-9 around the rim. Assuming Carter experiences no setbacks with his hip coming out of Saturday's game, he should be ready to go when the Magic kick off a four-game week Tuesday in San Antonio. The final two games of the week are part of a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back set versus the two Los Angeles teams, however, so Carter could be a candidate to sit out one of those contests.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Will be back in action Saturday
Rotowire
Carter (hip) is not on the injury report ahead of Saturday's game against the Heat.
The Magic's starting center will return following a three-game absence, so Moritz Wagner will presumably head back to the bench. Over Carter's past 10 appearances, he's averaged 15.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28.0 minutes.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Sidelined again Thursday
Rotowire
Carter (hip) remains out for Thursday's contest versus the Jazz.
Carter will skip a third consecutive tilt with soreness in his left hip, and the Magic don't have much reason to rush him back to action. Moritz Wagner should receive another start at center in his absence, with Goga Bitadze also potentially factoring in. Carter's next opportunity to return surfaces Saturday versus the Heat.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Downgraded to out
Rotowire
Carter (hip) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Bucks.
Carter will miss a second straight game due to left hip pain. In his absence, Moritz Wagner figures to draw another start. Carter's next chance to suit up will come Thursday against the Jazz.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Listed as questionable
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Carter (hip) is questionable for Tuesday's matchup against the Bucks.
Carter was a late scratch ahead of Sunday's game against Portland due to left hip pain and is in danger of missing a second straight contest. If that's the case, Moritz Wagner would likely draw another start at center.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Late scratch Sunday
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Carter has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against Portland due to left hip pain.
Carter was announced as a starter, but the Magic downgraded him to out just minutes later. The severity of the issue remains unclear, but Moritz Wagner will enter the starting lineup in Carter's absence and figures to garner an increased role versus the Trail Blazers. Carter's next chance to suit up will come Tuesday against Milwaukee, but Orlando will likely release an update on his status following Sunday's game.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Second straight double-double
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Carter logged 19 points (6-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-8 FT), 10 rebounds and one block in 24 minutes during Wednesday's 139-117 loss to the Bucks.
Carter put together a solid first half with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, with six rebounds and a block. He added another seven points and four boards in the third quarter before sitting for all of the fourth while the Bucks ran away with their 16th consecutive win. Carter still finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and has now recorded a double-double in back-to-back games. He's also grabbed at least 10 boards in four straight.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Minutes down again Monday
Rotowire
Carter played 25 minutes and finished with 11 points (4-8 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist and one steal in Monday's 101-93 win over the Pelicans.
After logging no fewer than 30 minutes in four consecutive games from Feb. 11 through 23, Carter has now received 18- and 25-minute workloads over his last two outings. Foul trouble contributed to the lighter playing time in the previous contest, and though he was charged with just three personals Monday, two came within the game's first two minutes. Carter ended up riding the bench for most of the first half as a result, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect the trend to continue so long as he can do a better job of avoiding early whistles in future games.
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Magic's Wendell Carter: Tips in game-winner
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Carter chipped in 14 points (5-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 32 minutes during Thursday's 108-106 victory over Detroit.
Carter got off to a slow start offensively with five points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first half, but he added five boards and two assists. The big man took only five more shots after the break but made three of them for another nine points while grabbing another nine boards. He also played the role of hero in the fourth quarter, tipping in a missed layup from Paolo Banchero at the buzzer to seal up the home win for Orlando. Carter's 14 boards led the contest, and it was his first time with double-digit rebounds in five games. He's now up to 14 double-doubles on the season.
