The Orlando Magic are still looking for their first home win of the season after Washington walked into Kia Center and left with a 103-94 victory on Monday night.
That result pushed Orlando to 2-5 overall and sent the Magic into a four-game West Coast road trip with another frustrating home loss on the books. It also came on the second night of a back-to-back, and the rough finish had plenty to do with a familiar issue: the shotmaking vanished when Orlando needed it most.
Jamal Cain was one of the few bright spots. His confidence from deep keeps trending up, and most of his damage came before halftime.
Cain finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and hit 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, with one make from each corner. He has now knocked down at least one three in four of his last five games, and he’s had multiple threes in two of his last three.
The mechanics look cleaner, and the belief is showing up too.
The rest of Orlando’s perimeter offense, though, went cold in a hurry. From the start of the second quarter until 10:51 remained in the fourth, the Magic missed 19 of 21 attempts from 3-point range. The only makes in that stretch came from Desmond Bane and Tristan da Silva, who entered the night as Orlando’s two best shooters.
da Silva had a rough night from distance despite getting good looks. He went 2-for-10 from three and 2-for-4 inside the arc. Bane led the Magic with four made threes on 10 attempts.
Orlando’s scoring came in waves, and then it disappeared. After putting up a season-high 33 points in the first quarter, the Magic managed just 26, 9 and 26 points over the final three periods. In the second half, they shot 35.9 percent from the field and went 4-for-21 from deep.
Even with the perimeter struggles, Franz Wagner kept attacking the paint. His shot has been a problem, but inside the arc he kept finding ways to score.
The 6-foot-10 wing did most of his work near the rim, converting 9 of 13 attempts there, including four in the restricted area. He’s been getting to his spots by powering through defenders and using the right hand to create cleaner angles.
Washington had two forwards who gave Orlando problems all night: Anthony Davis and Kyshawn George.
With Deandre Ayton starting alongside him for the first time this season and Alex Sarr out, Davis had answers whether he was working from the short roll or isolating from the mid-post. He finished with 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, along with nine rebounds and three steals.
George was just as troublesome, and his impact showed up on both ends. He scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting and hit a big pull-up jumper with 3:17 left to help stretch the lead back to seven. He created enough space against da Silva before rising up at the free-throw line and knocking it down.
In Other News...
Trae Youngs New Wizards Role Gets Tested In A Game That Matters
Washington has spent the early part of the season getting encouraging signs from its primary starters, with Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa both helping set a more stable tone. Now the spotlight shifts to Trae Young, whose arrival from Atlanta was supposed to bring a different kind of value to the roster. Rather than being asked to carry everything, he is expected to settle into a part-time playmaking mentor role, a different assignment for a player long used to being the engine.
The timing makes the matchup with the Hawks especially interesting, because it puts Young in a game that carries more weight than a typical early-season meeting. For the Wizards, it is a chance to see how his experience translates in a setting that matters, while also adjusting to the ripple effects of a roster that has changed around him. There is also a broader layer to the night with other familiar names in the mix, which only adds to the sense that this one has more history attached to it than most November games. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Title Hopes May Depend On Trae Young Making One Change
The Wizards long-term ceiling may come down to how Trae Young adapts alongside rookie AJ Dybantsa, and that starts with Young doing more damage away from the ball. Washington brought in a high-usage guard who has spent most of his career dictating every possession, but the fit the front office is chasing is different now, with Dybantsa emerging as a potential centerpiece and the team looking for a two-man game that can stress defenses in more than one way.
Dybantsa has already given the organization reason to believe the pairing can work, even in the early stages of his first NBA stretch. For Washington, the appeal is obvious: if Young can turn himself into a credible off-ball threat, it would open the floor for Dybantsas development and give the Wizards a cleaner path toward the kind of offensive balance that matters when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Defense Is Giving Fans A Real Reason To Believe
The early-season conversation around Washington has shifted in a hurry, and for once it starts on the defensive end. A group that was buried by opponents a year ago has become one of the leagues more disruptive units, with veteran additions helping steady the floor and young players such as Kyshawn George, Justin Champagnie and Bilal Coulibaly taking real steps forward. It is the kind of progress that changes how a team is viewed, especially for a roster still trying to build an identity.
There is also a more intriguing layer to it now, because the Wizards have found stretches where their defense looks even sharper when certain pieces are on the court together. Injuries and role changes have kept that combination from showing up as often as the team would like, but the underlying trend is hard to ignore. For a franchise that has spent so long searching for signs of traction, the defensive leap alone is enough to make the rest of the season worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]