+5
The Washington Wizards missed their first 12 shots and were never competitive in a 103-85 loss to the Orlando Magic.
The Washington Wizards never stood a chance against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Orlando jumped ahead to a 13-2 lead, quickly moved the lead to double digits and never were threatened in a 103-85 victory that was not as close as the final score indicated.
The Wizards missed their first 12 shots of the game and eventually fell behind, 31-14, after the first quarter. From there, the closest they got was 16 points.
Dwight Howard dominated for the Magic, scoring 28 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Orlando outrebounded the Wizards by 10, with Howard and Ryan Anderson outrebounding Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, 35-10. Nick Young had 17 points to lead the Wizards, while John Wall added 14. Anderson had 23 points for Orlando.
For more Wizards coverage, please visit Bullets Forever, SB Nation's Wizards blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation's Magic blog.
The Washington Wizards are getting ready to take on the Orlando Magic in Orlando, and they could see the sixth pick of the NBA draft, forward Jan Vesely make his NBA and Wizards debut in some capacity, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Jan Vesely practiced without complications past 2 days & will likely dress vs. ORL. Flip said JV might play to foul Dwight Howard #wizards
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 4, 2012
While Vesely will dress for the game, it looks like his role will be to play "Hack-a-Dwight" to put Orlando's star player on the free throw line, rather than let him rack up points in the paint and catch ally-oops from point guard Jamar Nelson. Vesely had been dealing with some discomfort in his hip that has caused him to miss the beginning of the season.
For more Wizards coverage, please visit Bullets Forever, SB Nation's Wizards blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation's Magic blog.
The Washington Wizards hope to pick up their first win of the season Wednesday when they visit the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. The Wizards stand as the league's lone remaining winless team and would no doubt love to pull off an upset of the host Magic, who swept them by an average of 18.7 points per game in the 2010/11 season.
Fourth-year stretch forward Ryan Anderson leads the Magic in scoring with 19.2 points per game. Dwight Howard paces the team with 15.3 boards, 1.8 steals, and 2.7 blocks while adding 17.7 points of his own.
Here are more details on Wednesday's Magic/Wizards tilt:
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, January 4; 7:00pm ET
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
TV Schedule
Wizards: Comcast SportsNet
Magic: Sun Sports
Radio Schedule
Wizards: The Fan 106.7 FM
Magic: News Talk AM 580 WDBO
For more Wizards coverage, please visit Bullets Forever, SB Nation's Wizards blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation's Magic blog.
The Washington Wizards (0-5) can enter the victory column Wednesday night when they visit the Orlando Magic (4-2) at Amway Center. The game matches the Southeast Division rivals against one another and also provides Wizards forward Rashard Lewis his first opportunity to take on his former team since Orlando dealt him to Washington in December 2010.
On Monday evening, the Wizards scored a season-best 92 points, but it wasn't enough to top the Boston Celtics. Andray Blatche stuffed the stat sheet with 28 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots in the 100-92 defeat. Washington allowed the Celtics to shoot 10-of-20 from beyond the arc. If it fails to defend the three-point line Wednesday, it'll be in a world of hurt: the Magic are shooting 39.2 percent on threes in the 2011/12 campaign on an average of 24.7 attempts per game.
Orlando had a four-game winning streak going, but the Detroit Pistons broke it Monday night as fatigue caught up with the Magic. Detroit badly outrebounded and outworked the Magic, who may have suffered an even worse defeat were it not for Dwight Howard's 19 points, seven boards, and five steals.
For more Wizards coverage, please visit Bullets Forever, SB Nation's Wizards blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation's Magic blog.
VIDEO: Andray Blatche Goal-Tends A Free Throw
by Mike Prada
One of the many examples of the Washington Wizards' infinite sadness.
(via Trey Kerby).
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Jan 05 11:07a