The Washington Wizards folded in the fourth quarter of their second straight matchup against the Orlando Magic, falling 120-113 and dropping to 0-3 on the season.
Things were looking good for the Washington Wizards late in their second consecutive game vs. the Orlando Magic. At the end of the third quarter, the Washington Wizards held a 17 point lead against the team that had out-dueled them on their home court just 24 hours earlier. However, things took a turn for the worse during the final frame. At the final buzzer, the Wizards had fallen to the Magic for the sixth straight contest, behind 26 points from DeMatha alum Markelle Fultz and 26 points off the bench for Terrence Ross. This type of complete and utter collapse for a promising Wizards team has become a trend in this young 2020-21 season. Washington has been outscored 121-72 in fourth quarters through the first three contests. Here’s what we learned from the Wizards after (another) losing bout with the Orlando Magic.
Takeaway #3: Raul Neto shines in his first start
One of the few positives from a disappointing loss for the Washington Wizards was the production of newly acquired Wizards point guard, Raul Neto. Neto, who turned heads in the first half of Saturday’s loss to the Magic with 11 points on 100 percent shooting in just 9 minutes of action, followed up his performance in a big way on Sunday. While Russell Westbrook rested on the bench, Neto, in his first career regular-season start, dropped 22 points, five assists, and four rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Whether it was crafty pull-up floaters, three-point makes, multiple inbounds steals, or even flashy no-look dimes, Neto did a bit of everything on Sunday evening for the Wizards.
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With back-to-back impressive performances for the 28-year old guard from Brazil, Neto put himself in a great position to take over backup point guard duties from Ish Smith, who has struggled throughout the first three contests. Even as things fell apart down the stretch for the Washington Wizards, Raul Neto was steady, confident, and consistent.
Takeaway #2: Fourth Quarter Collapse: Who’s responsible?
The Wizards’ inability to close out yet another contest has to be the biggest takeaway from Sunday’s loss to the Magic. In his postgame press conference, star shooting guard Bradley Beal stated that he and his team “got comfortable” late in the contest. This lack of urgency allowed Magic players like Michael Carter Williams, Markelle Fultz, and Evan Fournier to quickly chip into the large cushion the Wizards created in the third quarter.
If there’s anyone to blame for this loss, it is head coach Scott Brooks. His decision to open the fourth quarter with a lineup of Jerome Robinson, Troy Brown Jr, Ish Smith, Deni Avdija, and Robin Lopez proved costly, and his decision to keep Bradley Beal, Thomas Bryant, and Raul Neto on the bench as the Magic quickly climbed back into the game was even more puzzling. Even as the Magic surged for 43 fourth-quarter points, Brooks kept Isaac Bonga, one of the team’s best defenders, on the bench for the entire quarter. Bonga was +20 in 18 minutes of action before the fourth quarter. It’s not like he was playing poorly.
By the time Bryant replace Lopez, the 17-point fourth-quarter lead had been chopped to six, and the Wizards weren’t able to regain their previous momentum in the closing stretch of the contest.
As made clear by the fourth quarter collapses in the first three regular-season contests, it is incumbent upon Scott Brooks to solidify the Wizards’ rotations, particularly in the second half of games. The Wizards will have an extremely tough time closing games, particularly against tough competition, if they’re unable to maintain any momentum in the fourth quarter with unsolidified and unsuccessful lineups.
Takeaway #1: Free Throw Discrepancy
When looking back at the stat sheet, the casual viewer would wonder how in the world the Washington Wizards lost against the Orlando Magic after shooting 48.5 percent from the field to Orlando’s 43.5 percent, and almost doubling the Magic in points in the paint. The Wizards scored 66 points down low.
While the Wizards dominated in these categories, it was the massive discrepancy in free throws attempted and free throws made that ultimately led to the Wizards’ downfall. The Magic managed to get to the line a total of 38 times and made 37 of their free-throw attempts. The Wizards, on the other hand, only attempted 13 free throws and made 11 of them. This means that the Magic outscored the Wizards by 26 points at the charity stripe, which is absolutely devastating in close contests. Of Washington’s 11 free throw makes, Bradley Beal accounted for nine of them. Davis Bertans and Robin Lopez were the only other players to shoot foul shots for the entire game.
The combination of fouling jump-shooters on the defensive end and the inability to draw contact on the offensive end doomed the Wizards in both contests against the Magic. While they got to the line in the first matchup of the back-to-back, they ended up missing 13 of their 28 attempts. This will certainly be a point that the team needs to address if they still plan on making a postseason run in 2021.