The Orlando Magic will have to finish off their first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons without one of their key players. Franz Wagner has been ruled out for Friday’s Game 6, marking his second straight absence due to a calf strain. The injury, which also kept him out of Game 5’s 116-109 loss in Detroit, has been a tough blow for a Magic team that holds a 3-2 series lead and is just one win away from advancing.

Wagner’s calf issue first surfaced late in Monday’s Game 4 victory, a game that gave Orlando a commanding 3-1 series lead. He left in the second half and was initially considered questionable to return, even spending time on a stationary bike on the sideline. But he was ultimately limited to just 24 minutes before being shut down for the night. An MRI was scheduled for Tuesday, and now the team is preparing for the possibility that he could also miss a potential Game 7 on Sunday.

Without Wagner in the lineup for Game 5, the Pistons still needed a heroic 45-point performance from Cade Cunningham to survive. Paolo Banchero matched that output with 45 points of his own, but it wasn’t enough—and the Magic likely would have closed out the series with their second-leading scorer available.

Wagner has been a vital piece for the eighth-seeded Magic throughout the series, averaging 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. His two-way play has been instrumental in Orlando’s push to upset the top-seeded Pistons. It’s been an especially impressive run considering he was limited to just 34 games during the regular season due to a high-ankle sprain. When healthy, he averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

If the Magic can close out the series without him, the focus will quickly shift to whether Wagner can return for Game 1 of the second round. For now, all eyes are on Game 6, where Orlando will need to find another gear—with or without their star forward. In addition to Wagner, forward Jonathan Isaac (sprained left knee) is listed as questionable, adding another layer of uncertainty to the lineup.