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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| WIZARDS | 25 | 19 | 21 | 29 | 94 |
| MAGIC | 24 | 26 | 34 | 37 | 121 |
Recap:
ORLANDO (NBA.com exclusive) -- It wasn't the best time for a miracle, but Matt Barnes and Jason Williams provided a nice highlight for the Orlando Magic's 121-94 victory over the Washington Wizards.
With the game already slipping away from the Wizards, Williams nailed a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the third quarter Wednesday night.
Then Barnes stole the inbounds pass and got it back to Williams just in time for a 26-foot turnaround heave that swished. In two seconds, a 13-point lead had become a 19-point lead, and the Wizards' chances had been reduced from slim to much slimmer.
"I just got lucky on the second one. I was just trying to throw it up before the buzzer went off," Williams said.
"When you're the other team," noted Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, "that one was sort of demoralizing right there."
It was the story of the season for both teams.
The Magic, having clinched the No. 2 Eastern Conference seed in the playoffs, shot 25-for-37 (68 percent) in the second half and stretched a six-point halftime lead to 27.
Dwight Howard led the Magic (55-23) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but all 12 Orlando players scored.
J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus came off the bench for 16 points each in a game in which the reserves played almost as much as the starters.
Orlando's bench shot 10-for-13 from behind the arc.
"They have a great bench. They have been doing it all year," said Wizards forward Mike Miller, the NBA's Rookie of the Year with the Magic in 2000-01. "They bring a lot of energy. Mickael Pietrus is great, J-Will runs the show unbelievably, J.J. Redick makes shots. Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson and (Marcin) Gortat make up a great bench. That is one thing you try and slow down when you play these guys."
The Wizards (24-54) have beaten the Magic twice this season, but that was before trades reduced the team to its current also-ran state, and before the Magic bench had hit its stride.
"One through 15, this is the most talented team I've played on, the deepest team," said Williams, who was the starting point guard on Miami's NBA championship team four years ago.
"I said before the game that the difference in this team when we played them the last time is their bench," said Washington coach Flip Saunders. "Their bench came out and outscored us close to 60-30 (actually 65-37), and that was huge."
Nick Young scored a game-high 21 points for the Wizards, who shot a healthy 50 percent.
The Magic had held opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage in the league until giving up 50-plus shooting three times in the last five games.
"I thought that we had really improved as a defensive team, but we're struggling right now to stop people, which is not a good sign heading into the playoffs," Van Gundy said. "We'll continue to work to try to get that fixed."
With four games remaining, the Magic can only match their 59-23 record of last season, when they made it to the NBA Finals.
In terms of the standings, their only remaining target is to exceed the record of the defending champion Lakers, in case they meet again in the NBA Finals. The Lakers would have to lose at least two of their remaining five games, however, since they own a tiebreaker against the Magic.
"If we happen to play in the Finals, it'll mean a lot," said Vince Carter. "So the mentality is to win them all, regardless."
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POSTGAME VIDEO:
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Preview:
(STATS) -- The Orlando Magic are the only NBA team this season to defeat every other club in the league. Winning against the lowly Washington Wizards, however, has been surprisingly difficult for the Southeast Division champs.
One night after clinching their third straight division title, the Magic continue their three-game homestand Wednesday when they face a Wizards team trying to win three straight for the first time in almost exactly two years.
Led by Vince Carter - who scored 26 points - and sparked by Matt Barnes' scuffle with Hasheem Thabeet, Orlando (54-23) defeated Memphis 107-92 on Sunday.
"We didn't have a whole lot of fight until everything went down,'' said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy of a third-quarter shoving match that started when Barnes was called for an offensive foul on the Grizzlies' rookie center. "And then we got a little bit of fight.''
With the victory, Orlando became the only club to defeat each opponent in the NBA this season. If Dallas loses to Portland on Friday, the Magic will remain the only team to accomplish that feat. Orlando also clinched its third straight Southeast crown Tuesday when second-place Atlanta lost 109-100 in Charlotte.
"Everybody thinks that they can beat everybody in this league, and they'll talk about it," Van Gundy said. "We've literally done it.''
Washington nearly prevented Van Gundy from making that statement. After dropping the first two meetings with the Wizards, Orlando needed to rally from a 15-point first-half deficit to post a 109-95 victory in the nation's capital March 13. On Wednesday, Washington has a chance to win the season series with Orlando for the first time since 1996-97.
Looking to salvage a split of the season series and win their fifth straight overall at Amway Arena, the Magic will try to prevent Washington (24-53) from its first consecutive road wins since Nov. 27-Dec. 1.
With four players scoring 20 points or more for the first time since December 2007, the Wizards capped off a 2-1 homestand Tuesday with their second straight victory, 112-94 over Golden State. Washington - 3-1 since a 16-game slide - now has a chance to win three in a row for the first time since April 4-9, 2008.
"What's that? We've won three out of four is it?'' Andray Blatche said after scoring 21 points. "It feels good to win three out of four, I ain't going to lie, man, to go out there and play with energy, effort. We're all playing with a meaning now.''
In Washington's last visit to Orlando on Feb. 5, Caron Butler hit a 19-foot jumper over Barnes with 0.5 seconds left for a 92-91 Wizards victory. Butler has since been traded to Dallas.
Orlando star Dwight Howard, who had 20 points and 18 rebounds in the Feb. 5 matchup, is averaging 22.0 points, 16.7 boards and 2.3 blocks in the Magic's last three home games versus the Wizards.
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Live Baseline Blog:
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Game Notes:
Apr. 7 vs. Washington: Orlando is 53-30 all-time vs. Washington (31-10 at home, 22-19 on the road) during regular season action, including 1-2 this season (see recaps below)…The Magic went 4-0 last season against the Wizards...Orlando has won 12 of the last 18 meetings with Washington...Orlando has won 12 of the last 16 games at home and nine of the last 14 at Washington…J.J. Redick went to Cave Spring High School in Roanoke, VA…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Washington, see p. 294 of the media guide…Jan. 8 @ Washington – Wizards 104, Magic 97: Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison combined for 51 points to lead Washington to a victory at the Verizon Center over the visiting Orlando Magic, 104-97. Orlando held as much as a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Washington used a 13-2 run to take a one-point advantage, 84-83, a lead they would only relinquish for a brief moment the rest of the way. Dwight Howard recorded his 26th double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus chipped in 14 points apiece off the bench. The Wizards, who outrebounded the Magic 55-41, outscored Orlando, 33-20, in the final period to secure the victory…Feb. 5 vs. Washington – Wizards 92, Magic 91: Caron Butler poured in 29 of his game-high 31 points during the second half, including the game-winning jumper with 0.5 seconds left, as Washington edged Orlando, 92-91, at a sold-out Amway Arena. The Wizards overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Magic for the second time this season. Randy Foye scored 22 points for Washington, including 19 during the third quarter. Vince Carter led the Magic with 21 points, while Dwight Howard tallied 20 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks. Orlando led by as many as 21 points during the first quarter, 32-13 after the opening stanza, and 50-35 at halftime. However, the Wizards stormed back, outscoring Orlando during the third quarter, 39-17. Trailing 89-88, Rashard Lewis drained a three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left to give the Magic a one-point edge. On the ensuing possession, Butler calmly sank a 19-footer from the baseline, giving Washington the victory…Mar. 13 @ Washington – Magic 109, Wizards 95: Dwight Howard finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds, as Orlando overcame a 15-point deficit and defeated Washington, 109-95, at Verizon Center. It marked the eighth consecutive win for the Magic, setting a new season-high. J.J. Redick netted 18 points off the bench, while Brandon Bass added 16 points and nine boards. Andray Blatche led the Wizards and all scorers with 32 points. Washington led 33-20 after the first quarter and by 15 points early during the second quarter. However, Orlando stormed back, outscoring the Wizards in the period, 41-22, and took a 61-55 halftime lead. The Magic then opened the second half with an 8-0 run and cruised from there. Orlando shot 51.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded Washington, 46-30.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. WIZARDS: 62 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Orlando, 3-10-04)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 48 pts., Antawn Jamison (@ Wasington, 4-17-07)
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