Magic 100, Wizards 99
This wasn’t the Wizards of old, a team with All-Stars and veterans who knew they could rely on Gilbert Arenas when they put the ball in his hands to win a game on the final possession. It is still early in enough in the rebuild now under way at Verizon Center to remember that the current Wizards are still learning how to do all that is required just to be in that position in the first place.
So when Arenas misses his runner at the buzzer, as he did Saturday night in front of 16,435 – allowing Orlando to escape with a 100-99 victory over a team it had beaten by 29 points on opening night – and it doesn’t take away from what was achieved in the nearly 48 minutes that preceded it.
“The way we played, we felt like we did get it,” said Arenas, who had a season-high 31 points. “It’s not one of those losses like we felt in Atlanta, where it’s a dagger to heart. We felt we played hard enough to win so we have to take this momentum and play against the Heat.”
After Dwight Howard (32 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) followed Jameer Nelson’s airball floater with 4.3 seconds remaining, Arenas drove as he had all night but got caught between going for all net and using the glass.
“I felt it was going to in,” said Arenas. “Worst-case scenario it was going to bank in, and then I can come in here and say I meant to bank it. But it was a little bit harder than that.”
Sandwiched in between a Thanksgiving embarrassment on national television on the road against the Hawks and an anticipated contest in Miami on Monday, the Wizards (5-10) returned to Washington and showed for the first time this year that they have the mettle to hang tough with one of the best teams in the NBA – even without John Wall, who sat out with a bruised knee.
But it certainly looked like the Magic (12-4) were on the way to another blowout victory after Howard got going with a three-point play on the game’s first possession. When he missed the chance to convert his second and-1 opportunity, an offensive rebound led to a three-pointer for Quentin Richardson (20 points) and a 21-12 lead. When Howard had his third chance just before halftime, Orlando had already spent most of the second quarter with a double-digit lead.
“We gave him too many layups,” said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. “You gotta keep on sending him to the free throw line, especially late in the game. We let him get a couple put-backs with not putting him at the line. Those are the little things you’ve got to do when you’re playing good teams to close things out.”
But instead of wilting in the face of a 55-43 halftime disadvantage, Arenas attacked Howard and the rim, cutting the lead back to single digits, 61-52, with the first of two attempts at the line. He missed the second but JaVale McGee was there for the rebound and found Kirk Hinrich for his much-needed first 3-pointer of the night, making the score, 61-55.
While Andray Blatche (10 points, 13 rebound) paced Washington’s dominant night on the boards, McGee locked down Howard during a crucial stretch in the third period, denying the all-star center an easy layup, then stepping into a passing lane to pick off an entry and took off running like a point guard on the fast break. McGee then combined with energetic Alonzo Gee – who started in Wall’s absence – to force a steal from Howard, setting up Arenas for a three that cut Orlando’s advantage to 63-62. Arenas hit two free throws to give Washington its first lead of the game with 5:18 remaining in the period.
“I definitely figured out how to guard him better in the second half, more aggressively,” said McGee (nine points, seven rebounds, two blocks). “It was working for me, and I should’ve figured it out in the first half.”
Nick Young (season-high 21 points) then came off the bench to hit four jumpers in a row during a 15-5 run in the fourth quarter, and Hinrich’s second three of the night gave the Wizards their biggest lead, 90-84, with just under six minutes remaining.
But the Magic went back late to what had put them in front early, using another three from Richardson and two more free throws from Howard to go back on top, 96-95. After trading buckets with Arenas, Nelson drove in the lane and let go a high-arcing shot. McGee went sky-high for the block, but missed and left Howard open for the easy putback game-winner with 4.3 seconds left.
“It’s disappointing we didn’t come away with a win because you’d like to have the win for the positive reinforcement because we’re going into a stretch now where we play five of six on the road,” said Saunders. “We got a tough stretch coming up. It was encouraging, we’re taking baby steps. It’s the first time we’ve really competed against a good team and had opportunities to win.”
