Wizards Disappear In Loss To Magic
Nick Anderson had 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Orlando Magic to a 93-83 victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.
Mark Price scored 16 points and Bo Outlaw added 15 for the Magic, who won despite shooting only 42 percent from the field.
Rod Strickland led the Wizards with 25 points and nine assists.
Washington played without leading scorer Chris Webber, who missed the game with a shoulder injury. Juwan Howard, the Wizards' second-leading scorer, left the game with a sprained ankle with 6:48 left in the first quarter and didn't return.
Both teams struggled in the first period, with Orlando shooting 35 percent and Washington 29 percent.
Price's 3-pointer started a 14-5 Orlando run early in the second quarter, and he went on to score 12 of the Magic's next 14 points. His 20-footer made it 36-24 with 4:59 left in the half.
The Magic increased their lead to 16 with 2:05 left in the third period when Derek Strong finished off a 10-0 run with a pair of free throws.
However, the Wizards cut the deficit to seven by the end of the period and stayed within striking range throughout the fourth quarter.
The Wizards were within 84-79 after Strickland made a layup with 3:47 to play, but the Magic then went on a 9-2 run to put the game away.
Notes: Howard was carried off the court with 6:48 left in the first quarter after spraining an ankle. Magic guard Nick Anderson tumbled on to the back of Howard's ankle while chasing a rebound. Howard had the ankle retaped in the locker room, but decided not to return. ... Magic forward Horace Grant scored the 10,000th point of his career on a dunk four minutes into the game. ... Penny Hardaway, playing his fourth straight game as a reserve, scored 11 of 13 points in the fourth quarter. He also had seven assists.
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