Washington Wizards: Wizards take on the Orlando Magic in a must win game
The Washington Wizards head to the Amway Center to take on the Orlando Magic in hopes of achieving their third win of the season.
Friday Night will prove to be a critical one for the Washington Wizards. The team is on the brink of imploding due to already losing 8 out of 10 games so far this season.
This is the first look of the division rival the Orlando Magic. It won’t be long till they face one another again as they square down in D.C. Monday night.
Washington desperately needs this victory, otherwise the the trade speculations and roster moves are only going to get worse. The team has yet to find their identity, but have made it known to the public that they hate playing defense.
The Wizards are currently allowing their opponents to score an average of 120.5 points per game. This isn’t a Magic team that should be taken lightly. Orlando is currently 4-7, but have had some losses go down to the wire.
Let’s take a look at the game details below.
Game Info
Game: Washington Wizards vs. Orlando Magic
When: Friday, November 09
Where: Amway Center
TV: NBC Sports Washington, Fubo TV
Tip-Off Time: 7:00 pm Eastern Time
Injury Report
Wizards: None
Magic: Jonathan Isaac (Sprained Right Ankle-Out), Timofey Mozgov (Knee-Out)
Projected Starting Lineup
Wizards: G-John Wall, G-Bradley Beal, F- Otto Porter Jr., F-Markieff Morris, C-Dwight Howard
Magic: G-D.J. Augustin, G-Evan Fournier, F-Wes Iwundu, F-Aaron Gordon, C-Nikola Vucevic
Prediction
For Washington, it all comes down to defense. Nothing else matters if they can’t communicate on that side of the ball.
If the team can play a full 48 minutes of solid defense then they should be able to take down the Magic. The Wizards can’t allow 70 points in the first half like they did against the Dallas Mavericks. If they do, then you can kiss this game goodbye.
Orlando is 29th in points per game at 101.3, 28th in field goal percentage at 42.9%, and 27th in 3-point percentage shooting 31.2%. If this isn’t a recipe for a victory then I don’t know what is.
Fournier and Gordon will be the players to watch out for. Fournier is a crafty player who can hit the big shots when Orlando needs him to and Gordon will be trying to dunk every opportunity he gets. So, the Wizards will have their hands full with these guys.
Don’t sleep on the Magic’s bench, who have been productive with Mo Bamba, Terrance Ross, and Jonathan Simmons. Their bench has easily out-performed the way Washington’s bench has been playing.
The Magic have some young, hungry talent that can help the team put up some points. If the Wizards underestimate them then they could be looking at another 20 point defect at halftime.
It’s no question that Wall has heard all the rumors surrounding the team and how everyone has been calling to trade the All-Star point guard. This is the game to prove critics and everyone wrong.
Beal and Wall have the backcourt advantage to lead this team to victory and Howard should be able to have his way with Vucevic on the inside. I anticipate big games from all three superstars. The season is on the line and their backs are against the wall. Time to prove that the Wizards still need to be taken seriously.
light. Must Read. Washington Wizards: The Wizards season hinges on John Wall
This will be the first back-to-back of the season for the Wizards as they head to take on the Miami Heat Saturday night. Washington is currently 1-1 against .500 teams or worse. Hopefully they can take advantage of this one. If they don’t pandemonium is on horizon.
Final Score- ORL-99, WSH-107
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