The Los Angeles Lakers played a tough game against the Detroit Pistons on March 6 and now will have to face the Washington Wizards on March 7 – on the back-end of a back-to-back. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers fell just short in Detroit, losing to the Pistons in overtime 88-85. Bryant came out wearing a new black mask and shot 2-for-10 in the first half – he switched back to the clear mask at halftime and likely won’t wear the black mask against the Wizards. He complained it was slipping all over the place and looked to be more rigid and uncomfortable than the clear one he had been wearing.

Regardless, the Lakers have to put their loss to the Pistons behind them and get back to playing their brand of basketball. Let’s look at what the Lakers will need to do to earn their 10th straight win over the Wizards:

Bench Scoring

The Lakers bench scored a whopping total of seven points against the Pistons. In fact, anyone not named Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, or Andrew Bynum combined for just 13 points in the contest. That is not going to win any team basketball games, especially when they already struggle on the road. The Lakers’ bench and supporting cast are going to have to step up in this game against the Wizards.

Kobe Bryant

Bryant will always be the offensive leader of this team, but this isn’t 2006 anymore. He has two very talented seven-footers in Gasol and Bynum to get the ball to when he isn’t shooting the ball well. 8-of-26 shooting isn’t exactly what I would call a good shooting performance by any stretch. The Lakers didn’t lose that game because of Bryant’s shooting performance, but they didn’t win either. He did, however, score the game-tying basket to send the game to overtime.

Road Play

The Lakers need to do something about their play on the road. While they are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference, their road record is 6-13. Imagine if the Lakers’ road record was 13-6, they would be tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in the Western Conference. If the Lakers want to compete in the NBA Playoffs, they are going to need to start winning on the road.

This will be the game where the Lakers get comfortable and breakout on the road, beating the Wizards for the 10th straight time.

Prediction: Lakers 110 – Wizards 90

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Lakers vs. Wizards Preview. NBA 2012.

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Peyton Manning Reportedly to Be Cut by Colts – Fan Reaction

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MLB Adds Extra Wild Card Team in Each League: Fan Reaction

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Warriors 120, Wizards 100

WASHINGTON — The Golden State Warriors found the perfect remedy for a team struggling through a long road trip: the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards, on the other hand, seem to have no answers after a performance their coach termed “unprofessional.”

Golden State found the 3-point shooting touch that had been missing for the previous five games of the road swing and routed the Wizards from the opening quarter in a 120-100 win Monday night.

The Warriors were 15 for 23 on 3-pointers, a season-best 65.2 percent.

“It was like the basket was big for everybody. Everybody was making shots,” Monta Ellis said.

Ellis led the Warriors with 25 points and was 10 for 16 from the floor, including 2 for 4 on 3-pointers. He didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter as both teams emptied their benches.

The Warriors host the Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

The long-range barrage was a sharp turnaround from the previous five games, when the Warriors shot 24.2 percent from 3-point range.

“I wish they would have came a little bit earlier, but we’re going to take this one, go home and see what happens,” Ellis said.

Klay Thompson scored 18, and David Lee had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, which had six players in double figures. It was Golden State’s highest-scoring game since beating Toronto 138-100 on March 25, 2011.

Nick Young scored 25 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, and John Wall had 20 points and 14 assists for Washington, which lost for the seventh time in eight games.

“We get one win and come into a situation where we have a team at the end of a road trip, in a back-to-back and we come in with that effort to start the game,” Washington coach Randy Wittman said. “Inexcusable, and that’s on me. … That is unprofessional. I apologize to everybody that had to watch it and had to come here tonight.”

Thunder 95, Mavericks 91

OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, Kevin Durant had 22 and Oklahoma City scored the final eight points to beat Dallas and run its home winning streak to 13 games. Westbrook answered Dirk Nowitzki’s fourth 3-pointer of the final period by hitting one of his own from the right wing to get Oklahoma City within 91-90 with 2:25 remaining, and Dallas didn’t score again. Serge Ibaka hit two free throws with 46 seconds left to give Oklahoma City the lead, and Jason Terry missed two shots down the stretch for the Mavericks. Nowitzki finished with 27 points but didn’t touch the ball on a key possession when Dallas was down by two with 13 seconds left.

Bulls 92, Pacers 72

CHICAGO — Luol Deng scored 20 points, teaming with Derrick Rose in a decisive third-quarter rally against Indiana that sent Chicago to its seventh straight victory. Rose had 13 points and nine assists, hitting three 3-pointers while Deng had two in the third as the Bulls blew open a close game. Joakim Noah had 17 rebounds to lead the Bulls to a dominating 60-32 edge on the boards. Chicago outscored the Pacers 20-4 on second-chance points. Paul George scored 21 points for Indiana, which had a six-game winning streak snapped.

Timberwolves 95, Clippers 94

MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Love had 39 points and 17 rebounds to carry Minnesota past Los Angeles. Darko Milicic had 13 points in a spot start for the injured Nikola Pekovic and Michael Beasley scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter for the Wolves. Blake Griffin had 26 points and 12 rebounds, but scored just four in the final period for the Clippers.

Magic 92, Raptors 88

TORONTO — Dwight Howard had 36 points and 13 rebounds, Ryan Anderson added 19 points and 13 boards, and Orlando beat Toronto. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 for the Raptors, who have not won back-to-back games since road wins over Phoenix and Utah on Jan. 24 and 25. Toronto has gone 6-13 since.

Bucks 97, 76ers 93

MILWAUKEE — Beno Udrih hit a go-ahead jumper with just under a minute left, and Milwaukee held off a late Philadelphia comeback. Brandon Jennings had 33 points and Drew Gooden added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who have been stuck in a funk for a little more than a month. Since beating the Miami Heat on Feb. 1, Milwaukee had lost 12 of its last 16 games coming into Monday night’s game. Lou Williams had 26 points for the 76ers, who have lost eight of 10.

Jazz 109, Cavaliers 100

CLEVELAND — Al Jefferson scored 25 points, Gordon Hayward had 23, and Utah handed Cleveland its sixth straight loss. Utah snapped a six-game road losing streak with only its fourth victory away from home in 17 games. Rookie Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 22 points — 21 in the second half. He scored 13 points in the third quarter.

Nuggets rally for 119-116 OT win over Kings

DENVER (AP) — Arron Afflalo hit three free throws with 0.6 seconds left in regulation, Ty Lawson made a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets rallied for a 119-116 victory over the struggling Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

Afflalo finished with a career-high 32 points for the Nuggets, who improved to 4-0 since the All-Star break.

Lawson came up with the clutch basket for the second straight night, finishing with 16 points and 13 assists.

Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans each had 27 points for the Kings, who dropped their fourth straight on the day they announced they had extended the contract of coach Keith Smart through the 2012-13 season.

Thornton also had the foul on Afflalo in the closing seconds that allowed the Nuggets to get the game into overtime and pull out an improbable win.

The Kings trailed by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, only to storm back and take a 96-93 lead on a 3-pointer by Francisco Garcia with 4:23 remaining.

From there, it was an exchange of 3-pointers between the teams, as Lawson hit one to tie it up, only to have Thornton answer right back. Evans gave the Kings some breathing room with a short jumper, extending the lead to 103-98 with 1:16 remaining.

The cushion didn’t last.

Afflalo hit a 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds remaining to make it a one-point game.

After Isaiah Thomas hit two free throws to extend the lead to 108-105, the Nuggets held the ball for one final shot.

Just before the buzzer sounded, Afflalo launched a deep 3-point attempt, with Thornton grazing his arm. Afflalo drained the first two free throws and then had to patiently wait after the Kings called timeout.

He returned to the line, where he made the final one to tie the score at 108.

Jimmer Fredette’s desperation heave was offline and the game went to overtime.

In overtime, the Kings jumped out to an early lead, but the Nuggets quickly responded.

Lawson hit a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to give the Nuggets the lead. Garcia’s final shot fell short.

Once a banged-up bunch, the Nuggets are steadily returning to health. Leading scorer Danilo Gallinari was back after missing 13 games with a left ankle sprain. So was Brazilian center Nene, who sat out 10 games with a calf strain.

Not surprisingly, Gallinari and Nene both showed some early rust from their long layoffs.

Gallinari didn’t hit his first basket until swishing a 3-pointer with 4:04 remaining in the third quarter. He had just four points on the evening.

Nene finished with six points in just over 15 minutes.

When Gallinari hobbled off the court on Feb. 6, it appeared as if he might be sidelined for quite some time after tests revealed a chip fracture in his left foot. But further examinations later showed the fracture wasn’t caused by his stumble and may have actually occurred before he joined the NBA in 2008.

The versatile Italian forward proved to be a fast healer, returning nearly to the day the team had predicted.

The Nuggets were 6-7 without Gallinari, one of the players they’re counting on to deliver big shots at crunch time.

But with the game on the line the healing Gallinari was on the bench, not the floor.

Even with the return of Gallinari and Nene, the Nuggets are far from full strength. They were missing swingman Rudy Fernandez (back) and center Kosta Koufos (left knee).

However, Timofey Mozgov played Monday despite an ailing left ankle. He had eight early points before appearing to hurt his ankle again. Mozgov didn’t play in the second half.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, only to go on an 8-0 run to close out the half and tie the game at 53.

Notes: Kings F J.J. Hickson missed the three-game road swing with a hip pointer. … The Kings will begin a franchise-record nine-game homestand on Wednesday against New Orleans. … Lawson was named the Western Conference player of the week Monday. … The Nuggets are 13-3 against the Kings at home since 2003-04. .

Batum has 19 in Blazers’ 86-74 win over Hornets

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Nicolas Batum scored 19 points and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a three-game losing streak with an 86-74 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge, who had just two points and three rebounds in the first half, finished with 10 points and 11 boards for Portland, which led by as many as 26 points and got a morale-boosting victory before heading out on a seven-game, 12-night road trip. Aldridge did not play in the fourth quarter.

Marco Belinelli had 18 points for New Orleans, which has lost four of its last five games. At 9-29, the injury-depleted Hornets have the worst record in the Western Conference. Chris Kaman had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Golden State Warriors will play the Washington Wizards on the back-end of a back-to-back on March 5 before returning home to face the Memphis Grizzlies. For the Warriors, this matchup will be important in trying to bring some momentum back home to the Bay Area with them. Playing without star Stephen Curry has hurt the Warriors in various aspects of their game. Coach Mark Jackson has tried a couple different lineups, but has not found one to successfully replicate Curry’s presence on the court and what it meant to the Warriors.

The Warriors may have an opportunity to get a win against the Wizards, but there are a few things that they will need to do in order to achieve that goal:

Strong Interior Defense

The Warriors’ interior defense is anything but intimidating. David Lee is a good rebounder and scorer but when it comes to playing defense, he’s not the best in the league. If the Warriors had some help for Lee in the front court on offense, maybe he could expel more energy on the defensive side of the ball. When the Warriors tip off against the Wizards, John Wall is going to be coming at them hard. He’s going to drive the lane and try to get to the line as much as possible. The Warriors have to step things up defensively on the interior to have a chance to win and to eliminate as many three-point plays as possible.

Ekpe Udoh

Ekpe Udoh started against the Toronto Raptors at center after Mark Jackson realized that it wasn’t 2007 and Andris Biedrins wouldn’t be pouring in the points or blocking every shot within a five-foot radius. Now that the Udoh has started, hopefully Jackson will continue to put him in the starting lineup and give Udoh the opportunity to get used to playing starter’s minutes. Once that happens, I really think that Udoh could be a nice fill-in until the Warriors decide they want a true big man at center – which hopefully will happen this offseason. (I use the word “hopefully” very loosely in that sentence.)

Nate Robinson

For some reason, Mark Jackson has been starting Dominic McGuire in the absence of Curry. If anything I would have hoped to see Nate Robinson fill the empty starting role at point guard. Right now the Warriors are essentially playing with Monta Ellis at guard and then four forwards who are 6-foot-9 or taller. As nice as it is to have size on the floor, having only Ellis out there as a guard leaves a lot on his shoulders in terms of scoring. Sure David Lee and Dorell Wright are good for a double-digit effort in points most nights, but they need another guard in the backcourt. I think Robinson could easily fit into that role, but for some reason the Warriors haven’t found it necessary to do so just yet.

In all, the Warriors should be able to head home with a victory and a 2-3 road trip. If Curry is not in the starting lineup against the Wizards it will only make things harder for the Warriors to get the win. If Monta Ellis and David Lee help lead the charge, the Warriors will take down the Wizards.

Prediction: Warriors 107 – Wizards 98

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Warriors vs. Wizards Preview. NBA 2012.

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

MLB Adds Extra Wild Card Team in Each League: Fan Reaction

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Golden State Warriors Vs. Toronto Raptors: Fan Preview

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San Jose Sharks Vs. St. Louis Blues: Fan Preview

WARRIORS AT WASHINGTON

Tipoff: 4 p.m. at Verizon Center

TV/Radio: CSNBA; 1050

Wizards update: Washington snapped a six-game losing streak by beating visiting Cleveland on Saturday. … Guard Jordan Crawford has made four starts this season. In them, he’s averaging 16.3 points on 46.6 percent shooting in 28.5 minutes. Coming off the bench, he’s averaging 12.9 points on 39.8 percent shooting. … Point guard John Wall is averaging 4.11 turnovers per game, third most in the league (behind Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook).

Warriors update: Golden State will be completing its second back-to-back set of the road trip. That’s two of 12 slated post-All-Star break.

… The Warriors have failed to reach triple digits for four consecutive games. It’s their longest stretch since failing to score 100 points the first eight games of the season.

Wizards injuries: SG Nick Young (bruised right knee) and F Rashard Lewis (sore left knee) are day-to-day.

Warriors injuries: C Kwame Brown (torn chest muscle) is out. PG Stephen Curry (sprained right foot) is game-time decision.

– MARCUS THOMPSON II

I saw first-hand just how much the Washington Wizards were energized in front of 18,688 at the Verizon Center on Wednesday night in their first game back following NBA All-Star Weekend, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the three point shooting of the Orlando Magic as they fell at home, 102-95.

Dwight Howard
Michael C. Jones

The game initially looked like it would be another case of the Wizards failing yet again to compete with another top-tier team, but John Wall’s 33 points, which included 14 in the fourth quarter, kept the game within reach until its final minutes.

Wall couldn’t do it alone, however, and head coach Randy Wittman decided to start Kevin Seraphin and Jordan Crawford in place of JaVale McGee and Nick Young to shake things up. “I gotta get them playing back the way that they can,” he said.

The change in the lineup seemed to inspire McGee, who was efficient with nine points and six rebounds in just under 16 minutes of playing time. Amidst speculation that his tenure with the team may be coming to an end, the benching could be the motivation he needs to step his game up.Young finished the game with just five points and sustained a knee injury in limited action.

Orlando Magic stay focused on the present

Though Wall gave them fits, the Orlando did what they do best and shot the ball well from the arc, going 15 of 36. Washington managed to tie the game late on a Maurice Evans three-pointer with 6:57 to go, but Jameer Nelson answered right back with a three of his own at the 6:02 mark and put the Magic up for good.

Though most of the talk has been about Dwight Howard and where he might be playing in the coming weeks, Ryan Anderson, who led all scorers with 23 points didn’t see the speculation as a distraction. “We’re not really focused on some of the stuff that we can’t control,” he said. “We’re (more) focused on what’s going on right now and this team, because we’re playing well,”

Can John Wall take the next step in the second half of the season?

Finding an increased comfort level for Wall continues to be the focus for Wittman and the coaching staff. Over the course of the game, he played without the ball in his hands more than usual – even Dwight Howard noticed:

“One thing he did tonight which I haven’t seen him do a lot was come off the screens, shooting jump shots. Once he hits that shot consistently, that’s going to be tough for guys to guard him, especially big guys.”

The Magic got a first-hand look at just how special of a player Wall could become should he continue to improve. He was confident taking and making tough shots and had no problem being the go-to guy down the stretch.

I’m certain the Wizards can live with their franchise player taking the reigns late in games.

Michael C. Jones is a Yahoo! Featured Contributor in Sports and follows all developments across the NBA

Follow Michael on Twitter: @MikeJonesTweets

Sources:

Personal Interviews

Official Scorer’s Report

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PHOENIX (AP)—For an instant early in the second half, the Washington
Wizards appeared to have a legitimate shot at their first victory over Phoenix
in six years. Then they were overwhelmed during one of the Suns’ most dominant
stretches of basketball this season.

Marcin Gortat scored 20 points, Steve Nash had 12 points, 11 assists and
seven rebounds in three quarters, and the Suns beat Washington 104-88 on Monday
night for their 10th straight win over the Wizards.

Phoenix, coming off a 102-90 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, won
on consecutive nights for the first time this season.

“It was important to be strong and be tough mentally because we expended a
lot of energy last night,” Nash said. “We haven’t had a couple of days off in
it feels like forever.”

The Suns outscored Washington 31-6 after the Wizards took their only lead of
the game early in the third quarter.

“Selfish, that’s what it was,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. “We were
up by one and then went on a spree of the most selfish basketball I have seen
since I have taken over. I have to find the right people to play the right way
because I am not letting that slip back in.”

Phoenix led by 24 entering the fourth.

“That felt very good,” Channing Frye said his team’s big run. “I think
it’s letting everybody get into a rhythm. Defensively you saw we started to pick
it up, just give them one shot. We were moving, we were talking on `D’ and just
playing good basketball.”

Frye added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Michael Redd scored 14 for the
Suns, who topped 100 points against Washington for the 18th time in a row, the
longest active streak of its kind in the NBA.

Jordan Crawford scored 20 points for the Wizards, who finished a five-game
trip with three losses after winning the first two.

Trevor Booker added 16 for Washington. Nick Young, the Wizards’ leading
scorer at 17.5 points per game, shot just 3 of 13 for six points, the latest of
several big scorers to have a rough night while being defended by Grant Hill.

The Wizards outscored the Suns 7-1 to start the second half and took a 55-54
lead on Booker’s three-point play.

Phoenix scored on its next eight possessions, a 16-0 outburst that put the
Suns up 70-55 on Nash’s 8-footer with 3:53 left in the third quarter. Phoenix
kept going from there, finishing the quarter with a 12-3 run to lead 85-60
entering the fourth. Redd had eight points in the surge, including a pair of
3-pointers. The second one came with 34.8 seconds left in the period.

“We just played well, really,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “I wish I
had a deep thought about it, but we played well. We were good defensively and we
got out and ran and got easy shots. That’s really all it was.”

Overall, Phoenix outscored Washington 32-13 in the third.

“We stopped playing as a team,” said Wizards guard John Wall, who finished
with 10 points. “We stopped moving the ball.”

The Suns never trailed in the first half but never got the lead to double
digits, either.

They jumped out to a 19-10 lead but, when Phoenix had five reserves on the
court, Washington rallied to tie it at 36 on Rashard Lewis’ 9-foot runner with
6:17 left in the half.

The Phoenix starters returned and a 6-0 Suns spurt made it 42-36 when Hill
scored on a fast-break layup. Gortat’s dunk on a pass from Nash, followed by one
of two free throws from Frye, boosted the lead to 45-38 with 3:51 to go in the
half. The Wizards cut it to 51-48 when Young made his first shot of the night on
his sixth attempt, a 12-footer with 37.8 seconds left.

Hill’s two free throws made it 53-48 and Wall was called for an offensive
foul, against Markieff Morris, on Washington’s final possession before the
break.

Frye had 10 points and six rebounds in the first quarter. Gortat scored 13
in the first half and Nash had eight assists. Wall and JaVale McGee had 10
points apiece in the first two quarters for Washington.

Notes: This was the only meeting between the teams this season. … The
Wizards haven’t had a winning road trip of five games or more since 2005. …
Washington’s last victory over the Suns was on Dec. 22, 2006, when Gilbert
Arenas scored 54 points in an overtime victory at Phoenix. … The Suns won
consecutive home games for only the second time this season. … Phoenix led by
as many as 27 against the Lakers on Sunday night and 26 against Washington.

As we enter Wednesday’s action and the team’s pairing with the Orlando Magic, the Washington Wizards remain the NBA’s lone winless team. The squad’s body language hasn’t been great, they’ve been laughed at by more than a few Twitter wonks due to the team’s lack of heady play, and they’ve even gotten an innocent man chucked from a game due to a “technical glitch.”

And rookie Czech Republic native Jan Vesely, he of the absolutely zero minutes played this season due to a bum hip, seems to have cut straight to the core of the Wiz through some hesitant English. As quoted by the Washington Post’s Michael Lee:

“It’s tough to sit on the bench and see the players, they are playing and they are playing bad,” Vesely said. “Of course, I want to try to help the team.”

No, Vesely isn’t calling his teammates “bad.” He’s just telling Lee that his teammates have been “playing bad.” It’s me that is saying that Vesely’s teammates are “bad.”

It’s early, of course, and nobody expected the Wizards (who made absolutely no moves of significance during the offseason, save for picking up rookies in Vesely and Chris Singleton), to come anywhere near the playoffs this season. This team is rebuilding, and rightfully so. They’ve cast off this year in anticipation of more high draft picks and incoming cap relief.

Even with those lowered expectations in place, though, few anticipated John Wall starting off his second season with a 31.7 percent shooting mark over his first five games, to go along with 4.4 turnovers a contest. And, really, turnovers aren’t the issue with Wall; it’s how he sometimes looks like a sort of observer of his own awarded team at times.

Nobody expected the team to be shooting below 40 percent, not with all those offense-first minds both on the bench and in the rotation, and few could have expected the crew to be outrebounded by 10 per game and beaten by an average of 12 points (the most telling stat) after five contests.  Nobody expected a team full of shoot-first guys to be ranked 30th out of 30 NBA teams in offensive efficiency.

Not a whole lot of fun for Wizards fans, who have been through absolutely too much since the team’s NBA title in 1978. At least they can rally behind the fact that Colin Cowherd remains an absolute, unmitigated tool.

By Evan Dunlap

– Newsdesk contributor

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Jan 4, 2012 – The Orlando Magic (4-2) host the Washington Wizards (0-5) on Wednesday night, playing against Rashard Lewis for the first time since they traded the veteran forward to the Wizards in December 2010. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Eastern on Sun Sports.

Orlando’s four-game winning streak ended Monday against the Detroit Pistons. Fatigue plagued the Magic, who where playing on the back end of a back-to-back set, as they shot just 33.3 percent in the second half and allowed Detroit to take command. Pistons guard Ben Gordon scored 26 to lead all players, while center Dwight Howard put up 19 points, seven rebounds, and five steals in defeat.

The Wizards are the league’s only winless team, though they at least made progress in Monday’s 100-92 loss to the Boston Celtics. In that contest, the Wizards crossed the 90-point threshold for the first time in the 2011/12 season. Former No. 1 overall pick John Wall leads Washington with 13.8 points, 6.8 assists, and two steals per game, but has shot just 31.7 percent from the field. JaVale McGee also averages 13.8 points per game and adds 11 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

Orlando swept the season series from Washington, 4-0, in the 2010/11 season, winning by an average of 18.3 points per game.

For more Magic coverage, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation’s Magic blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit SB Nation D.C. and Bullets Forever, SB Nation’s Wizards blog.

Read More: Rashard Lewis (F – WAS), Dwight Howard (C – ORL), JaVale McGee (C – WAS), John Wall (G – WAS), Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards

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