German forward Franz Wagner found his rhythm late to help the Orlando Magic mount a comeback, securing a 118-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday in the first-ever NBA regular-season game played in Germany.

The Grizzlies tried to spoil the homecoming for Wagner and his brother Moritz, but Memphis’ early dominance wasn’t enough to hold off the Magic. The visitors led by as many as 20 points in the first half, but Orlando tightened up on defense to swing the momentum.

After conceding 39 points in the opening quarter, the Magic limited Memphis to just 40 points across the next two periods, with Franz Wagner pointing to Orlando’s 26-12 third-quarter surge as the turning point.

“It was super-special to show my teammates around Berlin, the city where I grew up,” Wagner said.

Wagner admitted that his slow start was partly due to rust from a 16-game absence with a high ankle sprain, as well as the emotional and media demands of the historic game.

“It was a lot coming into this week,” he said. “Working back from an injury isn’t ever easy, and then having this emotional, historic game on top of that made it taxing. But I’m not making excuses — once you decide to play, you’ve got to be ready.”

Wagner finished with 18 points, scoring 13 of them in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Anthony Black added 21 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, including a highlight-reel dunk over nearly the entire Grizzlies squad.

For Memphis, Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way with 30 points, but after a hot start, the Grizzlies cooled off, connecting on just 33.3% of their shots in the second half. Star guard Ja Morant, recently the subject of trade rumors, missed the game with a calf injury but could return when the teams meet again in London on Sunday as part of the NBA’s European tour.