Magic-Wizards Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Dec 27 2012 4:46PM

Glen Davis suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out indefinitely when the Orlando Magic beat the Washington Wizards just over a week ago.

Orlando hasn't won since.

The Magic look to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat while sending the host Wizards to a ninth straight loss Friday night.

Davis, averaging 16.0 points and 7.9 rebounds, was diagnosed with a sprained left shoulder after he was fouled by Emeka Okafor with 47.8 seconds remaining in Orlando's 93-90 win over Washington on Dec. 19.

The Magic (12-16) have lost three games by a combined 10 points while Davis nurses the injury, falling 97-94 to New Orleans on Wednesday despite getting a season-best 28 points from Jameer Nelson and hitting a season high-tying 11 3-pointers.

"We miss him a lot - both ends of the court," said center Nikola Vucevic, who added 19 points and nine rebounds. "People think it's probably just on the offensive end because he's one of our leading scorers, but he played well on both ends of the court."

Coach Jacque Vaughn doesn't believe Davis' absence is the sole reason for Orlando's recent struggles.

"You can go on and on, but Glen's not playing right now," Vaughn said. "We have to muster our own competitive juices and not rely on anyone else. That's part of being professional and doing your job."

Orlando hopes to be getting a boost soon from Hedo Turkoglu, who has been out since breaking his left hand in the season opener Nov. 2. Turkoglu will travel with the team to Washington and said there's a possibility he could play.

"I'm going to work out (Friday) in the morning and before the game and see how I feel," Turkoglu said. "I wish I can say I'm going to play. I wish I could've played (Wednesday). It's coming soon. Maybe (Friday), maybe the day after. I don't know."

No matter who suits up, Vaughn said the Magic aren't about to take Washington lightly despite its NBA-worst 3-23 record.

"I don't think we're at a stage to look at records," Vaughn said. "For us, we're approaching each game and trying to get better."

Orlando has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the Wizards, whose struggles continued with Wednesday's 87-84 loss to Cleveland. Though Washington allowed its fewest points during the skid and held the Cavaliers to 37.8 percent shooting, coach Randy Wittman wants to see a more complete defensive effort.

"We won't commit - all of us - won't commit to playing defense," Wittman said. "We've got too many guys that worry just about shooting the basketball and not about the other parts of the game."

Possibly a good sign for the Wizards is that Orlando ranks 27th in the league averaging 92.8 points and has committed 52 turnovers during its slide without Davis.

Washington is even worse, though, ranking last in scoring with 88.6 points per game - 84.8 during its losing streak.

Leading scorer Jordan Crawford is averaging 20.8 points over his last five and is expected to return to the starting lineup Friday. He scored 17 off the bench Wednesday after reportedly being late for the team's morning shootaround.

Wizards end 8-game skid, top slumping Magic 105-97

By JOSEPH WHITE
Posted Dec 28 2012 11:00PM

WASHINGTON (AP) Fans chanted "R-G-3!" when Nene was at the free throw line in the fourth quarter, sort of the new equivalent of "M-V-P!" in a city obsessed with Washington Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III.

If it helps the Washington Wizards win, they'll take it - because it doesn't happen very often.

Jordan Crawford scored 27 points, Nene added season highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds, and the worst-in-the-NBA Wizards showed they can still come out on top every once in a while, breaking an eight-game skid Friday night with a 105-97 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Washington overcame another horrible start - trailing 25-8 in the first quarter - and won by its largest margin of the season. The game represented one-quarter of the win total for the 4-23 Wizards, who have been stymied in part by the knee injury that has kept franchise player John Wall on the sidelines.

"Obviously, a lot of satisfaction in the win, but the way we won it - with what this team's gone through at the start of the year, to go down 25-8, ... for our guys to not put their heads down and grind it out," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We kept saying every timeout: `Long game. Long game. Next timeout let's make it closer.' And they did."

Wittman was so excited he could hardly wait to get on the plane for Saturday's road game against the Chicago Bulls, who haven't played since Wednesday.

"They're going to be rusty. That's good for us," Wittman said. "We've got to win. We're feeling good. We played well. Let's play again. I don't worry about Chicago."

Crawford's point total tied the high for any Washington player this season, but he was more ho-hum than his coach. He spoke about the game as if it were a routine trip to the gym, repeating the phrase "making shots" several times when asked how the victory came about.

"I mean, we're supposed to win," Crawford said. "We've got good players."

Still, it was the first Wizards home win since Dec. 4, when Griffin sat in the front row and cheered on an upset of the Miami Heat while serenaded with the now-familiar "R-G-3!" No, he wasn't at Friday's game, but the chant was.

"I guess we'll have `R-G-3' whenever we win," Wizards guard Bradley Beal said.

Arron Afflalo scored 26 points and J.J. Redick added 23 for the Magic, who have lost four straight since Glen Davis sprained his left shoulder in the final minute of a win over these same Wizards last week. The Magic ended an NBA-best 12-game streak of holding opponents under 100 points, while Washington hit the century mark for the first time in 12 games.

"Every team in the NBA is capable of scoring," Redick said, "if you don't play D."

Early on, the sound of "Three points - Jameer Nelson" came from the public address announcer as if on a continuous loop. Nelson made a trio of 3-pointers in less than a minute, and the Magic built a 17-point lead less than 7 minutes into the game.

"Fool's gold," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "We relaxed a little bit."

Crawford and Garrett Temple, who was signed earlier this week, came off the bench to dominate the second quarter. The Wizards led 54-51 at halftime and never trailed again.

"Garrett (doesn't) know half of what we're doing," Wittman said. "I'm throwing him out there to the wolves, and I couldn't be more proud of him."

NOTES: Orlando G E'Twaun Moore sprained his left elbow in the first quarter and did not return. ... Nelson went 1 for 9 over the final three quarters and finished with 16 points. ... Magic F Hedo Turkoglu, out since breaking his left hand in the season opener, made the trip and took part in the morning shootaround but did not suit up for the game. ... The Magic were called for a rare six-men-on-the-court technical in the third quarter. "It's Christmastime, and my wife spent a lot of money," Vaughn said. "I'm going to refrain from what I really want to say about that six-person foul. ... There should be 10 men on the floor, and I sent two guys to the table to check in and one they did not let in. I'll keep it that way."

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Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Notebook: Wizards 105, Magic 97

Rich Dubroff, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:01 PM - Updated Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:01 PM

THE FACTS: Jordan Crawford scored 27 points, Nene had a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Washington Wizards to a 105-97 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

It broke Washington's eight-game losing streak and was Orlando's fourth straight loss.

After the Magic raced to a 25-8 lead, the Wizards quickly caught up and never trailed in the second half. They won by eight, their largest margin of the season. Washington is now 4-23.

Arron Afflalo had 26 points and J.J. Redick scored 23 for Orlando.

QUOTABLE: "Good, they're going to be rusty. That's good for us. We're got to win, we're feeling good. let's play again. I don't worry about Chicago. I'm going, though"
-- Washington coach Randy Wittman on playing the Bulls, who haven't played since Wednesday.

THE STAT: The Magic had held their last 12 opponents to fewer than 100 points. The Wizards hadn't scored 100 in the previous 11 games.

TURNING POINT: Once Washington trailed by 17, they outscored Orlando 17-6 to end the first quarter down by only six. They took control of the game late in the second quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "There isn't an excuse for being bad defensively, and we are bad defensively right now, and it's surprising because we've been good defensively all season."
-- Redick on the Magic's poor defensive effort.

HOT: Crawford was 11-for-16 from the field. His 27 points tied the highest for a Wizards' player this season.

NOT: Jameer Nelson was 5-for-6 and had 14 points in the first quarter. He missed eight of his last nine shots to finish with 16.

GOOD MOVE: Wittman played Garrett Temple, who was signed on Tuesday for 34 minutes, and he scored 13 points. He had a career highs with six rebounds and six assists. "Garrett don't know half of what we're doing. I'm throwing him out there to the wolves," Wittman said.

BAD MOVE: The Magic were assessed a technical for having six men on the floor in the third quarter. "It's Christmastime, and my wife spent a lot of money. I'm going to refrain from what I really want to say about that six person foul," coach Jacque Vaughn said.

NOTABLE: Orlando guard E'Twaun Moore sprained his left elbow in the first quarter. He did not return and will be evaluated on Saturday.

IN THE ARENA: Chants of RG III, RG III were heard throughout Verizon Center when Nene stepped to the line. On Sunday, the Washington Redskins play the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC title. Griffin is their star rookie quarterback.

NEXT: For the Magic: Saturday vs. Raptors, Monday vs. Heat, Wednesday vs. Bulls. For the Wizards: Saturday @Bulls, Tuesday vs. Mavericks Wednesday @ Pacers

• Magic: Harrington, Turkoglu
• Wizards: Booker, Wall

• Magic: McRoberts
• Wizards: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #20 Leroy Richardson, #49 Tom Washington, #37 Lauren Holtkamp
• Attendance: 15789
• Duration: 2:07