Wizards 98, Magic 80
Trevor Ariza made 8-of-9 shots from the field to score a game-high 24 points as Washington pulled away from visiting Orlando for its fifth victory in six games.
Ariza made all four of his attempts from 3-point range, while point guard John Wall recorded 16 points and 13 assists for the Wizards. Nene chipped in with 14 points and three blocks and Marcin Gortat had 10 of his 13 points in the third quarter for Washington.
Arron Afflalo led the way for the Magic, scoring 21 of Orlando's season-low 80 points. Maurice Harkless registered 16 points off the bench, Victor Oladipo had 13 and Nikola Vucevic added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who shot 39 percent from the field.
Ariza scored eight of his 19 first-half points to help Washington build a 15-2 lead before the Magic rallied to tie it at 22 on Afflalo’s jumper in the final seconds of the first quarter. The Wizards recorded 17 of the last 23 points in the second quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from Wall, for a 52-41 lead at intermission.
Orlando trimmed its deficit to seven before Wall scored the final five during a 9-0 run and the Wizards pushed the lead to 16 late in the third quarter. The Magic, who play at Philadelphia on Tuesday, could not muster a run in the final period as Washington pushed its lead as high as 21.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wizards F Chris Singleton scored a season-high 11 points in 24 minutes off the bench. … Orlando G Jameer Nelson missed his second straight game with a sprained left foot. … Washington’s leading scorer G Bradley Beal was held out for the fifth straight contest with a stress injury to his right leg.