Win Streak Continues for Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic’s win streak continues as they won their eighth consecutive game after beating the Washington Wizards Wednesday 139-120.

Orlando Magic Continue to Shine

The Magic continued to surprise the league after winning their eighth game. They are just one win away from matching their franchise record win streak.  No one thought the Magic would be this deadly of a team to face. In week one of the power rankings, the Magic were ranked 21.  The Magic have now made a huge leap and jumped to the No. 8 spot in the rankings. The Magic are now 13-5, the best 18-game starts in 13 years. Last year the Magic were at one point 13-25.  A huge turnaround for them. The Magic currently sit at the No. 2 seed in the East, just one game behind the Boston Celtics who sit at the top.

Orlando’s two young superstars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are leading the team in the right direction.

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Trouble in Washington

There is smoke in the air in Washington after dropping to a 3-15 record.  They are currently second to last in the Eastern Conference. Just one game ahead of the Detroit Pistons who sit in last place with a 2-16 record. The Wizards have been struggling to win games. The Wizards have a 120 defensive rating. Their defense is what leads to the wizard’s downfall. They have allowed more than 15 points in second-chance points and 15 points off turnovers. The Wizards will need to figure out something quick if they want to turn their season around.

Game Recap

Both teams started off strong in the first quarter trading baskets. Orlando would inevitably behead after the first quarter and control the rest of the game.  At halftime, the Wizards were down by 10, 66-56.  Despite not shooting a single field goal in the first quarter, Wizard Deni Avdija led the half with 15 points and four assists. He did leave for the fourth quarter with an apparent arm injury. Magic superstar Franz Wagner led the half with 14 points and four rebounds.

The wizards would try to rally back early in the third quarter, cutting the Magic’s 10-point lead to seven but the Wizard’s fate was already sealed. Wagner would explode for 17 points in the third quarter. Kyle Kuzma’s 23 points and six assists and Avdija’s 22 points and five assists weren’t enough to end the Magic’s streak.  The Wizards shot 47.1% overall and made 11 of 29 from 3-point range.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Magic ran with that momentum, extending their lead to 21 points on a Cole Anthony alley-oop dunk.

The Magic would out scored the wizards in all four quarters.  They had five of their players in double digits. Franz Wagner would help lead the Magic to victory finishing with 31 points and six rebounds. Cole Anthony would put up 25 points and six rebounds and five assists of his own.  The Magic would close out the Wizards 139-120.  The Magic shot 60.7% overall and made 17 of 27 from 3-point range. On Friday, the Wizards will look for redemption and break the Magic’s streak.

The Orlando Magic will play the Washington Wizards again on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Amway Center.

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