ORLANDO, Fla. — On the night that saw rising star forward Franz Wagner make his long-awaited return to the court, nothing came easy for the Magic against the visiting Trail Blazers.

Although Portland entered 13th in the West and with only 15 wins on the season, it left Kia Center with its 16th victory, 101-79, behind 21 points from Anfernee Simons.

Careless with the ball at times, the Magic as a whole finished with 22 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Trail Blazers (16-28), who also totaled 58 points in the paint.

The loss is Orlando’s fifth straight and its ninth in the last 12 games. Despite their lowly record, the win was actually Portland’s third in a row.

In need of a win, the Magic (23-23) host the Pistons on Saturday before starting a six-game road trip Monday at Miami.

Welcome back Franz

Prior to tipoff Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Wagner was restricted to 24 minutes. He played exactly that (24:27) while appearing on the court in short 5- to 6-minute stints throughout the night.

He recorded a block on the first defensive possession and his first points came from the free throw line.

It was clear, though, Wagner’s timing was off with the rest of his teammates as he continued to find his flow again in his first game since Dec. 6. He committed four turnovers with no assists.

Still, Wagner at times showed flashes of his former self by cutting to the paint often, hitting a fadeaway jumper in the second quarter and attacking the basket when relying on his craftiness with the ball.

He totaled 20 points with four rebounds in his first game following a 20-game absence due to a torn right abdominal muscle.

Rest of the starters

With Jalen Suggs (low back strain) and Goga Bitadze (concussion protocol) still out, Wagner started alongside Anthony Black, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. against the Trail Blazers.

Banchero was still on a minutes restriction as well (Mosley said it would be around 30-32) in his seventh game back on the court after two-plus months off it.

Totaling 33 minutes Banchero shot 1 of 14 from the floor for just eight points when the Trail Blazers often sent double teams his direction.

Banchero continued to struggle to take of the ball. He recorded four turnovers in the first half and ended with five for the second straight game.

It was part of a larger trend that saw Portland’s ball pressure cause problems for Orlando’s offense. In addition, cross-court passes were sometimes picked off by Trail Blazers defenders waiting in the wings.

Black added 12 points but he and Wagner were Orlando’s only starters who finished in double figures.

Rookie watch

Tristan da Silva had started 34 of his first 41 games while helping fill in for Banchero and Wagner but was moved back to the bench Thursday.

The No. 18 pick led Orlando’s reserves with 16 points in 29 minutes. He was one of six reserves to see the court alongside Jonathan Isaac, Trevelin Queen, Cory Joseph, Caleb Houstan and Jett Howard.

He was one of just two Magic reserves to score (Queen, 1 point) until Howard the fourth quarter. The second-year pro totaled 10 in the finale frame.

Da Silva found some success from beyond the arc (2 of 5) and the free-throw line (4 of 4) and added five rebounds.

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