“So it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m ready for it”.
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Yet the numbers, as gaudy as they are, don’t accurately represent how important he was for the Wizards, especially in crunch time.
The Orlando Magic is a young team with a new head coach in Scott Skiles, and in their first game of the season they pressured the Wizards until the very end. The Wizards new highflying offense knocked down their next five shots to storm out to an early 18-9 lead.
Hezonja and Aaron Gordon provided sparks off the bench.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Orlando’s last 8 games. Dedmon also altered a few shots on the defensive end. Even with the scare, the Wizards led 31-29 after one with Wall and Beal combining for 20 points in the period.
Washington connected on six of its first nine shots, but the Magic absorbed the spurt and generally were able to match the Wizards’ energy level in the second half. The Wizards swept the fourth-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round last spring but squandered a 2-1 lead in the semifinal series against Atlanta and enter the 2015-16 campaign hoping to take another step forward.
But there’s one area where Hezonja has struggled to fit into the typical National Basketball Association culture: Unlike most rookies who blow a major chunk of their first check on a tricked-out auto, Hezonja is still without a vehicle and has been forced to bum rides to and from practice from teammates. Despite a lackluster performance as a team, Washington’s backcourt picked up the slack as they combined for 46 points en route to an 88-87 win.
Like the start of the game, the Wizards started the second half on a 6-0 run looking like they would stretch the lead to double figures. That meant Orlando has all 14 players on its roster available to play – something of a rarity following an injury-plagued preseason.
Wall scored 12 points in the fourth quarter last night.
The Wizards found themselves trailing by five with under a minute and a half to go, but two Marcin Gortat free throws followed by a tip-in from Otto Porter Jr. pulled the team within one with 50 seconds to go. The Wizards kept clawing away and the tied the game at 78 when John Wall stole a lazy pass from Oladipo and took it the length of the court for his patented behind the back layup.
John Wall hit a floater with 12.7 seconds to play and the Washington Wizards rallied to defeat the Orlando Magic 88-87 Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams.
The drama was far from over.
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Leonard scored, was fouled and made the free throw with 42 seconds left to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 2, and Westbrook missed a jumper to give San Antonio a chance to tie or win. Beal was called for goaltending but after review, the refs determined the ball was out of the cylinder. During the Wizards-Magic game in Orlando, Washington guard Ramon Sessions dove into the stands while chasing a loose ball.
