The Lead
Franz Wagner posted 28 points and Markelle Fultz stuffed the stat sheet with a season-high 19 points, three rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks, but the Orlando Magic, despite leading by as many as 12 in the first half, fell 127-110 to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena.
Key Stretch
The Wizards went on a 10-2 run midway through the fourth quarter to build a double-digit lead. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope started the surge with a 3-pointer, Daniel Gafford slammed home a dunk and Kristaps Porzingis tipped in a miss during that stretch.
Key Stats
For just the fourth time since the All-Star break, a Magic opponent shot 50-plus percent from the field. The Wizards dished out 35 assists and they had nine blocks, their second most this season. Orlando did outscore Washington in the paint 52-48.
Injury Report
Wendell Carter Jr. (left wrist), Jalen Suggs (right ankle), Jonathan Isaac (left knee) and Bol Bol (foot) were out for Orlando. Bradley Beal (wrist), Kyle Kuzma (knee) and Vernon Carey Jr. (hip) were unavailable for Washington.
This Day in History
One of Orlando’s big wins down the stretch of the 2018-19 season came against the Pacers in Indiana on March 30. Aaron Gordon stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Nikola Vucevic scored 19 and Terrence Ross had 16. The Magic won 11 of their last 13 games that season, securing the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Rivals Report
Luka Doncic and Porzingis certainly weren’t a bad duo, but it never felt like the two of them together were going to lead the Mavs to a title. Will a Beal-Porzingis tandem, assuming Beal stays in the nation’s capital, produce better long-term results for the Wizards? Interesting about Porzingis is that he’s averaging over 20 points since the trade to the Wizards despite shooting just 28 percent from 3-point range.
Quote of the Night
“You got to earn everything here. They don’t care who you are – if you’re a big-time player or if you’re a nobody. If you are going to get an opportunity, you got to show yourself and prove yourself every time. It’s not something that you establish when you walk somewhere. You are just always going to get everyone’s best shot. I think that’s something we carry with us everywhere we go, just trying to prove ourselves no matter where we are at.” – Fultz on what it means to grow up playing basketball in the Washington metropolitan area, also known as the DMV
Up Next
The Magic start a three-game homestand on Friday at 7 p.m. against the Toronto Raptors. This will be the Raptors’ only trip to Orlando this season. Since Jan. 1, Toronto has the Eastern Conference’s second-best record at 28-15. They’ve won nine of their last 11 and are just a half-game back of Chicago for fifth place in the East. Recently, they won all five games of a West Coast trip, something they hadn’t ever done before in franchise history.