The Magic took another rough loss on the road on Saturday, falling 138-118 to the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have been among the league’s more difficult teams to predict night in and night out, looking intermittently like fringe playoff contenders or a budding tank job. In this contest though, Washington looked about as good as it has all season, leading to a difficult night for the Magic.
It was clear fairly early that this was just going to be one of those nights in the NBA, in which one team has a hot hand that will be difficult to keep pace with. In the first quarter, Kyle Kuzma hit three three-pointers; Daniel Gafford, Delon Wright, and Bradley Beal all contributed; and Kristaps Porzingis had a 6-6 stretch at the line over the course of a single minute. The Wizards shared the ball, turned it over only once, and found themselves with a 37-26 lead (despite a fairly hot start for Franz Wagner).
The middle portion of the game was more competitive. Through the second and third quarters, a balanced attack and some strong bench contributions (from Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross, and Bol Bol in particular) kept the Magic in the game. The Wizards maintained that hot hand however, and still entered the fourth quarter with nine-point lead.
That lead would expand thanks in large part to an onslaught from Washington forward Rui Hachimura, who turned in one of his best games as a pro. Exploiting the defensive inconsistency of the Magic’s talented but young frontcourt, Hachimura poured in nine points in the first five minutes of the quarter. That ballooned the lead to 15, and from that point the Wizards’ guards took over, with Beal, Wright, and Corey Kispert all hitting shots down the stretch.
For the game, Washington shot a scorching 53.7% from the field and 52.9% (18 for 34) from three. Perhaps even more impressive, they managed 34 assists to just eight turnovers on the night –– numbers that virtually no opponent will be able to overcome. Certainly, this will do more to fuel questions about the defensive limitations of Orlando’s promising young core. At the same time, as mentioned, it was sort of just one of those nights. It’s a simple point, but it’s worth remembering now and then that every single player in the NBA is extraordinarily good at basketball. Sometimes, when a handful of them are clicking at the same time, you just see a barrage that looks something like 34 assists and 18-of-34 from three.
What the Magic can take from this drubbing, however, other than another loss en route to a high lottery pick, is one more sign that their point guard of the future is emerging. There wasn’t a great deal that went right for Orlando in this game, but Markelle Fultz –– who is somewhat quietly making a bid for Comeback Player of the Year –– turned in arguably his best performance of the season.
While the rest of his team largely struggled, Fultz was outstanding. In just 29 minutes, he scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting (3-of-4 from deep). He assisted on eight baskets and turned the ball over just one time. He also pulled in five rebounds, and even managed a +/- of just -2 on the night –– not bad considering he was on the floor for more than half of a 20-point loss.
This isn’t to say we should be starting an All-Star voting campaign for Fultz just yet. The Magic still have a tangle of guards who, more often than not, look like sixth-man types. The team may well be in position to draft one of the best guards available come next summer, and at some point it will have to trade one (or a few) of Fultz, Jalen Suggs, and Cole Anthony. At the same time however, we’re beginning to see more consistency from Fultz, and performances like this, even in a losing effort, offer a glimpse of what could be.
The Magic are likely heading into some fairly choppy seas, as the focus turns toward tanking. This lopsided loss to Washington was evidence to this effect. The goal will be to continue developing young talent amidst losses, however, and this Fultz outing was a great example of how exciting that can be.
