National Basketball Association
Washington 94, Orlando 91
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 25, 2016
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials:
#37 Eric Dalen, #23 Jason Phillips, #70 Phenizee Ransom
Attendance:
17103
By The Sports Xchange
ORLANDO, Fla. -- John Wall scored six points of his 26 points in the final two minutes, helping Washington erase a small deficit in the fourth quarter and stave off an Orlando comeback in the Wizards' 94-91 victory over the Magic on Friday night at Amway Center.
Wall was everywhere and did everything for the Wizards. He added 10 assists and seven rebounds. Otto Porter scored 19 points and Bradley Beal added 14 points and eight assists for the Wizards.
"I thought we needed every minute he was on the floor," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said of Wall. "He did a good job orchestrating our team. He set the tone defensively in the first quarter.
"I thought our guys did a good job competing. In order to win on the road, you have to be able to compete on the defensive end. I thought we did that throughout the game."
Orlando had to focus a lot of attention on Wall and keep him out of the paint. And he still found a way to burn the Magic.
Wall got himself going particularly early in the game, contributing five assists and five points as the Wizards built an early 19-point lead.
Washington forced eight turnovers in the first quarter and got Orlando on its heels to climb back into the game.
The Magic buckled down on defense after giving up so many possessions on turnovers in the first quarter. Orlando whittled the lead down until it finally took the lead in the fourth quarter.
Nikola Vucevic led the charge with 17 points and 17 rebounds, making 8 of 16 shots from the field. Serge Ibaka had 19 points and Elfrid Payton scored 15 points to go with five assists for the Magic.
But the Magic could not finish the game. Despite coming alive offensively after shooting 23.8 percent from the field in the first quarter, the league's worst offensive team came up dry late. And their defense could not corral Wall at the end.
"It's disappointing," Vucevic said. "We can't start a game the way we did. It's hard to get back into the game.
"Even though we came back, we were kind of a step behind. At the end of the game, we were unable to make plays. That's what it came down to. Our start had to be better. It would have put us in a much better position."
Orlando ended the game shooting 43.8 percent from the field. Still a poor number but better than the team's season average. For the sixth straight game, the Magic held their opponent below 95 points.
None of that has mattered for the Magic, who have struggled to pick up wins.
And when push came to shove, the Wizards made the big plays. Whether it was Wall darting into the lane to set himself up or dishing out to the perimeter for an open jumper.
"Teams are going to make runs," Washington's Otto Porter said. "We know teams are going to do that. It's how we handle that and how we get over the adversity. The last couple games, we found a way and we went with it."
NOTES: The teams got a bit too physical midway through the fourth quarter when the Wizards' Kelly Oubre and the Magic's Bismack Biyombo shoved each other after a foul. The two needed to be separated and video caught the Wizards' Bradley Beal placing his hands around Evan Fournier's neck. All four players received technical fouls. ... John Wall missed Washington's last game against the Magic earlier in the season as the Wizards tried to manage his minutes after multiple knee surgeries this past summer. Wizards coach Scott Brooks said the team will still monitor Wall's minutes on back-to-backs, but he could see an increased workload. ... Wizards F Otto Porter played after hurting his right hip in Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns and missing practice Tuesday. ... The Magic players, coaches, management and staff spent their Thanksgiving morning serving breakfast at the Coalition for the Homeless in Orlando. It is the 24th year the Magic have participated in this program.
Top Game Performances
Washington |
|
Orlando |
John Wall 26 |
Scoring |
Serge Ibaka 19 |
John Wall 10 |
Assists |
Elfrid Payton 5 |
Marcin Gortat 9 |
Rebounds |
Nikola Vucevic 17 |
John Wall 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Evan Fournier 6 |
Markieff Morris 3 |
Steals |
Nikola Vucevic 3 |
Andrew Nicholson 2 |
Blocks |
Serge Ibaka 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Washington
|
94 |
45.5 |
6-29 |
8-10 |
26 |
37 |
4 |
10 |
12 |
Orlando
|
91 |
43.8 |
7-23 |
14-20 |
18 |
49 |
7 |
5 |
19 |
Upcoming Games
-
Orlando will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Magic have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .333 after a loss.
-
Washington will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Wizards have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .444 after a loss.