Hubert Davis scored 19 points to lead five players in double figures as the Washington Wizards extended their winning streak to eight games with a 93-75 victory over Orlando.
The Magic already were without injured superstars Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady. Hill is out for the season after ankle surgery and McGrady, Orlando's leading scorer and rebounder, is resting a sore back.
Despite the absence of their two best players, the Magic matched the Wizards in the first half, led by Miller, who scored 14 points before suffering a bruised lower back. He did not play after halftime.
 Air Jordan's J was way off, but he still contributed with 8 assists and 6 boards. Paul Chapman NBAE/Getty Images |
Orlando withstood that loss and were tied, 64-64, before rookie Brendan Haywood made a turnaround jumper to give Washington the lead for good with 9:35 left.
"Our guys played hard and they had it down to four points in the fourth quarter without Mike Miller," Rivers said. "They had great shots and they did not go in."
The Wizards had a 68-66 lead with 7:47 to go and pulled away with a 14-2 run. Davis and Popeye Jones each scored four points during the spurt and Chris Whitney capped it with a 3-pointer to make it 80-69 with 4:11 remaining.
Davis and Tyronn Lue each scored nine points in the final period and the Wizards matched their longest winning streak since March 19-April 1, 1983, when the franchise was known as the Bullets.
Davis made 9-of-14 shots overall, despite going just 1-of-4 from 3-point range, where he usually is most effective.
"He was great, Hubert's a pro," Washington coach Doug Collins said. "He was on the injured list at the start of the season, but he has had a big effect on our team. He's a great shooter and he's not afraid to take big shots."
Jones finished with 13 points and a season-high 14 rebounds and Michael Jordan added 12 points for Washington, which lost Richard Hamilton to a groin injury in the first quarter.
Jordan made just 3-of-16 shots, missing his first eight, and did not score in the final 20 minutes. But he collected eight assists and six rebounds.
"This is probably the most impressive of the eight," Jordan said. "Guys really stepped up when (Hamilton) went down. This is big growth for a young team. It has taken me a while to realize these guys have confidence in themselves. The guys really impressed me tonight."
Darrell Armstrong and Troy Hudson scored 13 points apiece for Orlando, which has lost six of eight on the heels of a season-high four-game winning streak.
Monty Williams tied a season high with 11 points and Patrick Ewing had eight and 12 rebounds. Orlando shot just 33 percent (31-of-94), made 4-of-21 3-pointers and 9-of-16 free throws.
"You've got to have other people step up," Armstrong said. "It's getting tougher and tougher, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. So we've just got to keep fighting. I was happy that we kept playing, but we just couldn't hit shots."
Hamilton scored eight points in the first nine minutes to help Washington build a 25-18 lead after the opening period.
The Magic opened the second quarter with a 10-5 run and neither team led by more than a basket until the second half.
Williams made two layups as Orlando started the third quarter with five straight points. But Washington answered with a 6-1 run to tie it. The Wizards took the lead for good, 56-54, on a jumper by Davis with 4:20 to go in the period.