Wizards at Magic
The Washington Wizards have dominated Orlando in recent years and shoot for their 13th consecutive victory over the host Magic in Saturday’s contest. Washington won all four meetings last season and has held Orlando below 100 points in each of the past nine matchups.
The Wizards finally won for the initial time under first-year coach Scott Brooks by recording a 95-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Point guard John Wall will receive the night off on the second of a back-to-back after undergoing surgery on both knees during the offseason. Orlando is searching for its third consecutive victory and first-year coach Frank Vogel was impressed with Thursday’s 102-94 home win over the Sacramento Kings. "There are no guarantees early in the season but these guys are working to gel to come together as a group on the court and to try to do what I am asking them to do," Vogel told reporters. "That takes a little time, it's a process."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus (Washington), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (1-3): Shooting guard Bradley Beal averaged just 14 points over Washington’s first three games but he broke loose against Atlanta by scoring 20 of his 28 points in the second half. Brooks was pleased with the aggressive nature in which Beal set career highs by sinking 13 of 14 free throws and the Florida product breathed a sigh of relief over getting that elusive first victory. "Get a win under our belts, relieve a little pressure off ourselves and just relax, focus on the next game now," Beal told reporters afterward. "It's great to get a win.”
ABOUT THE MAGIC (2-3): Shooting guard Evan Fournier scored a season-best 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting against the Kings for his third 20-point outing in five games. He is one of the team’s building blocks after receiving a five-year, $85 million contract in the offseason and he is averaging a team-best 19.2 points. “I don’t expect to do too much. I’m going to have nights like this, obviously, and I’m going to have nights where I miss a lot of shots,” Fournier told reporters after the win over Sacramento. “I don’t put a lot of pressure on my shoulders or anything. That’s actually the best way to actually play, so no pressure at all.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Magic last prevailed against the Wizards on March 29, 2013 when they notched a 97-92 victory.
2. Wall had six assists against Atlanta and needs four to pass Hall of Famer Wes Unseld (3,822) for most in franchise history.
3. Orlando C Nikola Vucevic is averaging 13.8 points and 12 rebounds and has collected 14 boards three times.