Orlando Magic go flat to start 2016, losing again to Washington Wizards
The Orlando Magic have struggled for some time and finally paid for it. The Washington Wizards outplayed them down the stretch and won Friday.
38. Final. 103. 142. 91
The Orlando Magic were having a hard time cracking the Washington Wizards defense all game. Shots were not falling from the perimeter, around the rim, everywhere.
This was a game they would have to rely on their defense to pull them through. Just like Wednesday, defense would determine whether they gutted out another win or succumbed to the pressure of another team, figuring itself out slowly on the offensive end and controlling the lead and pace of the game.
Wednesday, the defense took over to charge the offense. The same did not happen Friday.
The Washington Wizards found their groove quicker than the Magic could stop them. They seemed to have it on standby for much of the game, waiting to pounce once it could get unleashed.
The Magic could not get down and dirty like they had against the Nets a few days ago. John Wall turned on the afterburners, continually torching the Magic’s defense and taking advantage of the lackluster effort in a 103-91 win at Verizon Center on Friday.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 91 | 93.3 | 50.0 | 17.1 | 16.4 | 9.4 |
| Washington | 103 | 109.1 | 51.1 | 27.3 | 10.6 | 10.9 |
Victor Oladipo (ORL) — 20 pts.; Tobias Harris (ORL) — 13 pts., 10 rebs.
John Wall (WAS) — 24 pts., 13 assts.; Otto Porter (WAS) — 20 pts.
Washington played desperate for much of the game and beat Orlando with pace and enough shooting to get by. Certainly during the fourth quarter.
The Wizards scored 31 points in the final quarter with Wall doing tons of damage in the pick and roll. Again, the Magic came out to defend him well beyond the 3-point line and Marcin Gortat stoned Victor Oladipo on screens, leaving Nikola Vucevic in single coverage.
From there Wall could walk into a jumper, take the space to get to the basket or dish it out when the defense collapsed on him. Orlando was scattered defensively, often overhelping and leaving open shooters. Kris Humphries again made them pay.
It was the kind of soft, lax defense that Skiles noted was not good early in Wednesday’s win and players seemed to brush off as an off-night in a long NBA season. Skiles proved to be right.
He said after the game the score was not indicative of how much the Wizards outplayed the Magic throughout the game. They seemed to be quicker to loose balls and ready to run and control the pace after the Magic started with a 9-2 start.
Orlando struggled a bit around the rim to score to extend that lead, but Washington controlled the game from then on it seemed. An ugly game should have favored the Magic, but the Wizards seemed always in control.
Washington took a 10-point lead in the third quarter and Orlando was looking a bit lost on both ends. Victor Oladipo brought good energy off the bench and scored 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting. His hounding defense helped spark the Magic to get back into the game and tie it at 76.
But the Wizards then went on a 17-5 run to go up by double digits. The Magic struggled to get good shots and saw the Wizards run back at them and beat them time and time again.
Washington, one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, had 12 offensive rebounds. The Wizards were quicker to the ball and willing to grind.
Effort alone would not have won the game. Orlando needed some more precise execution too. The offense was not terrible, shooting 47.1 percent and dishing out 29 assists. The ball did move on occasions.
It just did not move at the time the Magic needed. In the fourth quarter, Orlando had just 19 points, shooting 42.1 percent and turning the ball over five times. Washington seemed to take advantage of every mistake.
The quarter was more symbolic of how inefficient the Magic were offensively throughout the night. Their scoring would come in fits and starts.
The Wizards made 13 of 22 shots in the final quarter and just kept coming at the Magic. Orlando failed to have a response. The team just could not reach down and find the resolve to pull this one out as it had Wednesday night.
Maybe this was the game that the Magic did not have it, one of the sleepy games that happen in an 82-game season. The fact it has happened in two consecutive games is a bit more concerning.
Inconsistency has crept into this game this time and the Magic could not dig themselves out. They had to learn a lesson without winning this time.
And the Wizards made them pay dearly when the game got tight. They wanted it more and they executed better down the stretch. The Magic’s sloppy, un-energetic play left them behind.
Next: Why Nikola Vucevic deserves your attention
It was not the best start to the new calendar year for the Magic, but a continuation of issues that have bubbled under the surface of the team’s winning so far.