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Wizards open 2016 strong as John Wall, Otto Porter spur win over Magic Wizards open 2016 strong as John Wall, Otto Porter spur win over Magic
(35 minutes later)
Forced to navigate a grueling early-season schedule with one of the league’s longest injury lists, the Washington Wizards have experienced frustrating bouts of inconsistency. They have topped some of the league’s best and flopped against lottery teams. They can score in bunches, yet their defense can yield points just as quickly. But two facts have remained constant: their domination of the Orlando Magic and John Wall’s outstanding play since Dec. 1. Forced to navigate a grueling early-season slate with the league’s lengthiest injury list, the Washington Wizards experienced frustrating bouts of inconsistency in the 2015 portion of their schedule. They have topped some of the league’s best and flopped against teams bounds for the lottery. They can score in bunches, yet their defense often has yielded points just as quickly. But through the highs and lows, two facts have remained constant: their domination of the Orlando Magic and John Wall’s outstanding play since Dec. 1.
Both were on display Friday night at Verizon Center as the Wizards toppled the Magic, ­103-91, for their 11th straight win over Orlando. Wall posted game highs of 24 points and 13 assists, good for his 18th double-double of the season. Both were on display Friday night at Verizon Center as the Wizards toppled the Magic, 103-91, for their 11th straight win over Orlando — and third this season — behind another dynamite performance from Wall, who posted game highs of 24 points and 13 assists, and another strong defensive effort. After not holding a team under 100 points for 10 straight games, Washington (15-16) has done so in five of its past six.
Wall netted half of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, which began with the teams tied at 72. Kris Humphries scored all 11 of his points in the final period, and Otto Porter Jr. added 20 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes. Marcin Gortat contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds for his 13th double-double. “Our defense is why we won the game today,” said Wall, who had his 18th double-double.
DeMatha product Victor Oladipo paced the Magic (19-14), one of the league’s surprising teams, with 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting off the bench, and Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and seven rebounds. Wall netted half of his points in the fourth quarter, which began with the teams tied at 72. Kris Humphries, who tallied a season-high 23 points in the teams’ previous meeting, scored all 11 of his points in the final period, and Otto Porter Jr. added 20 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes.
The Wizards (15-16) entered the new year with a league-high 129 missed games because of injury. Next on the list was the Philadelphia 76ers at 115 games. Philadelphia has won just three games. Marcin Gortat contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds for his 13th double-double, and rookie Kelly Oubre Jr. enjoyed what Coach Randy Wittman called “his best defensive game” as a pro, though he flubbed two alley-oop dunks because he said he lost one of his contacts and had difficulty seeing.
Drew Gooden III, sidelined the previous 21 games with a strained right calf, returned Friday and picked up four fouls in four minutes before exiting the game near the end of the third quarter because of discomfort in the calf. Even with him back, Washington still added another five missed games to their total as Bradley Beal (leg), Nene (calf), Alan Anderson (ankle), Gary Nea l (quad), and DeJuan Blair were unavailable. DeMatha product Victor Oladipo paced the Magic (19-14) with 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting off the bench, and Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and seven rebounds. One of the NBA’s biggest surprises, Orlando shot just 5 for 20 from beyond the arc, and Washington was able to convert defensive stops into 24 fast-break points.
“You got to buckle down and grind through it,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said before the contest. “That’s what we’ve been doing for the most part. That’s where our focus has to stay. If you give in to it and feel sorry for yourself, then you’re in a little bit of trouble. You’ve just got to continue to work. Guys get back. Hopefully happens. Then I think you have an opportunity to be a better team when you get healthy.” “I thought we really, for 48 minutes, start to finish, defensively stayed in tune with what we had to do,” Wittman said. “And that paid off in the fourth quarter.”
For now, the Wizards are relying on Wall, who overcame a series of injuries to play the best basketball of his career last month. Wall averaged 22.6 points, 11.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 16 December games. He was the first player to average 22-plus points, 11-plus assists, four-plus rebounds and two-plus steals in a month since Chris Paul in April 2009, according to the Wizards. The Wizards entered the new year having accumulated a league-high 129 missed games because of injury. Next on the list was the three-win Philadelphia 76ers at 115 games.
In a break from the norm — and perhaps to lighten the toll on the point guard — Wall was the first starter to get a breather in the first quarter. Drew Gooden III, sidelined the previous 21 games with a strained right calf, played Friday, but the return was short-lived: He exited near the end of the third quarter because of discomfort in the calf after picking up four fouls in four minutes. After the game, he said he is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Saturday.
The all-star has carried the Wizards over the past month. But they didn’t falter as he watched. Washington trailed by three points when he went to the bench. By the time Wall returned with 2 minutes 57 seconds left in the quarter, the Wizards had produced a 14-6 run to claim a 20-15 edge. They jumped ahead by running the floor effectively behind Porter, Ramon Sessions and Garrett Temple, producing 12 fast-break points to the Magic’s two in the first quarter, which concluded with the Wizards leading 24-21. Even with Gooden back, Washington still added another five missed games to their total. Bradley Beal (leg), Nene (calf), Alan Anderson (ankle), Gary Neal (quad) and DeJuan Blair (knee) were unavailable.
Orlando rallied to take a four-point advantage in the second quarter before Wall and Porter partnered to catapult Washington ahead again. “We got to keep doing it until we get healthy,” Wittman said. “The good thing about this is there are eight guys here who know they’re going to get to play right now with the injury situation. I think they’re using that opportunity.”
First, Wall swatted Oladipo’s fast-break layup attempt and raced to the other end for a pull-up jumper. Porter then drained a three-pointer on an assist from Wall and added a fadeaway jumper on the ensuing possession. Wall followed the sequence with a steal and fast-break two-handed dunk, and Porter, who finished the first half with 12 points and eight rebounds, drained a three-pointer 54 seconds later to give Washington a 37-33 lead. Wall remains the centerpiece and overcame a series of injuries to play the best basketball of his career last month. He averaged 22.6 points, 11.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 16 December games. He was the first player to average 22-plus points, 11-plus assists, four-plus rebounds and two-plus steals in a month since Chris Paul in April 2009, according to the Wizards.
The Wizards used a 10-0 spurt bridging the second to third quarters to manufacture a 12-point lead. In a break from the norm, Wall was the first Wizards starter taken out of the game in the first quarter Friday. It was by request. The game had acquired a breakneck pace, and Wall, always the pace-setter, was winded. Washington didn’t falter without him — they produced a 14-6 run during his first-quarter absence — and he returned with more than enough time to torment the Magic again.
“This is a years-long thing,” Magic Coach Scott Skiles said. “This is not just this season. I don’t know. I don’t know if the guys are intimidated by him or something. I have no idea.”