The Orlando Magic put a spell on the Washington Wizards in their season opener on Thursday night, dominating play from the opening minutes and coming away with a 112–83 win.
It would have been the Wizards’ worst season opener in franchise history and the Magic’s best season opener in franchise history if it wasn’t for a double-technical foul against Orlando reserve guard Jason Williams in the final minute.
The Wizards lost by 32 points against the Philadelphia 76ers in 1965 under one of their former team names, the Baltimore Bullets; the Magic won by 29 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2001.
The sellout crowd at Orlando’s new Amway Center had much to cheer about in the first half on Thursday as their beloved stars Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, and Rashard Lewis went to town on the Wizards.
But the 58–34 halftime lead made for an almost bland second half. There were quite a few open seats in the second half—either the fans already had predicted the outcome of Thursday’s onslaught or they were busy checking out the several new amenities in the new center.
Carter led the offensive effort in the first half with 14 points. He was the only scorer to reach double digits in the first half.
The rest of the Orlando lineup, including the bench, had well-distributed scoring in the first half as several players got substantial playing time.
Howard took command in the second half and finished the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Carter finished with 18 points, followed by Nelson with 16. Orlando out-rebounded the Wizards 53–25.
Starting guards John Wall and Kirk Hinrich tag-teamed for 14 and 12 points respectively, but the big story for the Wizards was the 17-point contribution by reserve guard Cartier Martin.
Orlando plays their interstate rivals the Miami Heat on Friday, who are coming off a 97–87 win against the Philadelphia 76ers after falling to the Boston Celtics in the NBA opener on Tuesday.
It would have been the Wizards’ worst season opener in franchise history and the Magic’s best season opener in franchise history if it wasn’t for a double-technical foul against Orlando reserve guard Jason Williams in the final minute.
The Wizards lost by 32 points against the Philadelphia 76ers in 1965 under one of their former team names, the Baltimore Bullets; the Magic won by 29 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2001.
The sellout crowd at Orlando’s new Amway Center had much to cheer about in the first half on Thursday as their beloved stars Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, and Rashard Lewis went to town on the Wizards.
But the 58–34 halftime lead made for an almost bland second half. There were quite a few open seats in the second half—either the fans already had predicted the outcome of Thursday’s onslaught or they were busy checking out the several new amenities in the new center.
Carter led the offensive effort in the first half with 14 points. He was the only scorer to reach double digits in the first half.
The rest of the Orlando lineup, including the bench, had well-distributed scoring in the first half as several players got substantial playing time.
Howard took command in the second half and finished the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Carter finished with 18 points, followed by Nelson with 16. Orlando out-rebounded the Wizards 53–25.
Starting guards John Wall and Kirk Hinrich tag-teamed for 14 and 12 points respectively, but the big story for the Wizards was the 17-point contribution by reserve guard Cartier Martin.
Orlando plays their interstate rivals the Miami Heat on Friday, who are coming off a 97–87 win against the Philadelphia 76ers after falling to the Boston Celtics in the NBA opener on Tuesday.
