The Washington Wizards held off a late surge Tuesday night to defeat the Orlando Magic, 120-112.
Bilal Coulibaly opened the game with a steal and a slam for two of his seven first-quarter points. The 21-year-old wing drew the Paolo Banchero assignment and guarded him quite well.
Tre Johnson’s streaky jump shot had made headlines in recent days, but it was his playmaking that shined in the opening frame. Johnson found Alex Sarr with a pair of dimes — one for a dunk and another for an open 3-pointer
— en route to a 7-0 Wizards run.
Sarr finished with nine points in the quarter as the Wizards took a 30-29 advantage into the second frame. Also spotted during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game: A Trae Young jersey behind the Wizards’ bench.
Justin Champagnie continued to make winning plays in the second quarter. After drilling a pair of triples, the 24-year-old wing grabbed an offensive rebound, put it back up for an easy bucket, then stripped Wendell Carter Jr. before finding Marvin Bagley III for a transition layup to give the Wizards a 40-33 lead.
Sarr re-entered for Bagley and quickly drilled his second triple of the contest before adding four more points to close the half with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Washington entered halftime with a 62-50 advantage thanks to 11 Magic turnovers.
It was a defensive masterclass in the third quarter for the Wizards, led by Bilal Coulibaly’s four steals halfway through the frame. The Wizards scored 14 points off several Magic turnovers to grow a 26-point lead with four minutes left in the quarter.
But the Magic kept fighting. And with 5:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, Washington’s 26-point lead was down to just four. Brian Keefe left the bench in for a bit too long, and Orlando took advantage to tighten the contest late.
With the Magic closing in, Sarr took over down low. The second-year big man earned three of game-high four blocks in the span of three possessions before CJ McCollum drilled a corner three to extend Washington’s lead to nine.
Coulibaly, who finished with 14 points and five steals, grabbed a pair of clutch rebounds as the Wizards closed out their fifth win in seven games.
It took Washington 57 games to reach 10 wins last season. This year: Just 35 after a 120-112 victory over the magic improved the team’s record to 10-25.
