Magic vs Wizards: What Didn't Work

The Magic let an early 10 point lead slip away as they dropped their first home game in over two weeks, 87-86 to the Washington Wizards.

What went wrong:

1. Superman missing- Dwight Howard left his cape in the phone booth as he didn’t contribute much on either end of the court. Howard was plagued by foul trouble and finished with just 3 points on 1-6 shooting.

2. Free throw shooting down the stretch- Despite Hedo Turkoglu’s career night, he missed three free throws in the final minutes which ultimately cost the Magic the game.

3. No Rashard- Orlando’s huge off season investment struggled on both ends as Lewis scored just 7 points on 2-13 shooting, while he struggled even worse covering Antawn Jamison, who scored 31 points for the Wizards.

4. Not enough bench production- With Dwight Howard in foul trouble and Rashard Lewis struggling from the field, the Orlando bench needed to step up and didn’t. Only three of the Magic reserves scored, and the Magic bench was 7-25 from the field.

5. Bad ball movement- The Magic played the game outside in offensively, and there was far too much one on one play. Ball movement was mostly stagnant and the team didn’t get a lot of open looks.

Credit the Washington Wizards defense on this night. Orlando had plenty of opportunities to win the game, but Washington made enough stops down the stretch, and made just enough shots to squeak out a very necessary victory over a division rival.