4 days ago
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After the Magic gave up 127 points in an eight point victory over the Pacers on Sunday at Kia Center, coach Jamahl Mosley made it clear his team needed to be better on defense when it hit the road this week.
Orlando, however, lacked urgency, intensity and intentionality on both ends of the court throughout most of the night Tuesday against the Wizards at Capital One Arena.
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That was until Mosley shifted to a younger group on the floor, which included Jase Richardson (20 points), Jett Howard (10) and Noah Penda (10), in search of a spark in the second half.
After Washington led by as many as 26 points late in the third quarter, the Magic stormed back and used a 42-18 run to cut their deficit to just two points with five minutes left in the game.
Orlando’s comeback effort fell short, however, when the Wizards (10-25) pulled away late in an eight-point victory, 120-112, behind 27 points from CJ McCollum and 23 from Alex Sarr.
Still without Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain) and Jalen Suggs (right knee Grade 1 MCL contusion), the Magic saw an 11-game win streak against the Wizards that stretched back to March 2023 come to an end.
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The Magic (20-17) have a quick turnaround when they travel to Brooklyn on Wednesday night.
Starting 5
Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva remained in the starting lineup alongside Wendell Carter Jr., Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero against the Wizards.
After scoring 15-plus points in each of last 10 games, Black struggled mightily on offense when he scored just 6 points while missing all five of his 3-point attempts and shooting 3 for 10 from the floor.
Although da Silva hit his first three triples of the night, he ended with 13 points in 22 minutes. Bane (15) and Banchero (14) combined for 29 but each had four turnovers.
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Mosley pulled his starters with four and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter and the Magic trailing by 26 points.
Turnovers and takeaways
The Magic entered Tuesday’s game averaging 13.7 turnovers per night, the fourth fewest in the league.
They had 11 in the first half alone.
And Washington isn’t known for its defense either. The Wizards headed into the contest only forcing 12.5 turnovers per game, the second fewest league-wide.
Orlando wasn’t sharp enough on offense throughout most of the night when the Wizards scored 29 points off 19 Magic turnovers.
Free points
The Magic sent the Wizards to the free throw line plenty Tuesday night.
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Washington entered the game 27th in free throw attempts (21.8) and 26th in free throw percentage (76.1%).
Against Orlando, the Wizards shot 31 for 33, marking a season-high in makes from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Magic missed eight free throws when they shot 16 for 24 at the line.
Rookie watch
Richardson appeared in his 12th consecutive contest and entered the game two minutes after Penda late in the first quarter.
Richardson scored seven points in the first half when he hit first 3-pointer, attacked the paint and converted at the free throw line (2 for 2) but really found his footing after the break.
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Richardson shot 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, dished out three assists and grabbed three rebounds in 26 minutes.
Penda notched 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes when he added four steals and a block on the other end.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
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