Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - J.J. Redick knocked down four 3-pointers en
route to a team-high 17 points on Wednesday, as the Orlando Magic held off the
Washington Wizards, 90-83, at Amway Center.
Arron Afflalo and E'Twaun Moore donated 15 points apiece for the Magic, who
have won four straight games and five of their last six.
"Our level of effort has been more consistent," Redick said of his team's
strong play of late. "I still think we have lapses in the game, starts of
quarters, ends of halves, we've had some issues lately so we still have a lot
to clean up but we're improving and that's the biggest thing."
Glen Davis contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in the victory, but left
the game late in the fourth quarter after taking a hard hit to his shoulder
from Washington center Emeka Okafor.
"It is his left shoulder," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said of Davis' injury.
"He'll get evaluated and we'll see what the diagnosis is and we'll go on from
there."
Nene led the Wizards with a game-high 20 points off the bench, while Jordan
Crawford added 19 points and six assists in the setback, Washington's fifth in
a row.
The Magic led, 52-50, at the break before opening the third quarter on a 9-2
sprint to press their lead to 61-52 with 7:28 left in the stanza.
Washington answered with the next four points to pull within five, but the
Magic closed the quarter on a 15-7 swing to take a 76-63 advantage after three
frames.
Orlando held Washington at bay for much of the fourth and led by 10 after
three Redick free throws, but Washington countered with an 8-2 spurt to pull
within 85-81 with just over four minutes left.
The Wizards, though, scored just two points over the final four minutes and
the Magic hit just enough free throws to hang on for the victory.
"We don't have the guy you're just going to give the ball to and say carry the
load for us," Washington coach Randy Wittman said of his team's late-game
struggles.
Neither team led by more than four in a tightly-contest first quarter that
found the Magic holding a slim 27-26 lead after 12 minutes.
Orlando opened the second on a 13-4 run behind a pair of 3-pointers from
Redick to build a 40-30 cushion less than four minutes into the frame.
The lead was up to 13 later in the second following an Afflalo jumper, but the
Wizards reeled off the next 11 points to pull within 48-46 with just over two
minutes left until halftime.
GAME NOTES:
The Magic have won 10 of the last 11 against the Wizards and Washington is
winless in its last six in Orlando ... Okafor finished with eight points and
12 rebounds ... Washington shot 44.2 percent (34-of-77) from the floor, while
the Magic finished 42 percent (34-of-81) shooting from the field.
The Sports Network