Magic's Wendell Carter: Fractures finger, timeline TBD

The Magic announced after Thursday's 115-113 win over the Jazz that Carter fractured his left middle finger during the contest, Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel reports. A course of treatment will be determined once the team returns to Orlando on Friday.

Carter posted his first double-double of the season Thursday, racking up 14 points (5-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one block over 29 minutes but apparently injuring the finger at some point along the way. Since the injury is to Carter's non-dominant hand, he could have a quicker timeline for a return than if he had injured his shooting hand, but the veteran center appears likely to miss multiple weeks in any case. Moritz Wagner has been serving as Carter's direct backup and is the top candidate to replace him in the starting lineup beginning with Saturday's game against the Lakers, and Wagner makes for an attractive pickup in most 12-team category and points leagues due to the fantasy-friendly skill set he's displayed in the past when given meaningful minutes. Assuming Wagner starts, Goga Bitadze could be in line to serve as his top backup, with Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke also on hand as potential options at center when the Magic run small-ball lineups.