NBA

Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards

· National Basketball Association
33-44, 14-25 Away
Final
116 - 109

34-43, 18-20 Home

Magic rally in final quarter to beat Wizards 116-109

Banchero had 30 points and 12 rebounds, Markelle Fultz added 25 points and the Orlando Magic overcame a 16-point second half deficit to beat the Washington Wizards 116-109 on Friday night.

The Wizards managed only 13 points in the final quarter and fell to three games behind Chicago for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference with five games remaining. Orlando remained four games behind the Bulls, who routed Charlotte 121-91.

Banchero, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft out of Duke, is to win Rookie of the Year, and Fultz gave him an endorsement.

“I think you just see it, playing both ends of the floor, being able to create, being confident and poised," Fultz said. "I don't really think it's any discussion about it, but of course people got to vote.”

Washington was without its top three players — Bradley Beal (left knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Kyle Kuzma (right ankle).

Corey Kispert scored a career-high 27 points for Washington but did not manage a shot attempt in the fourth until the final minute. He made nine of the Wizards' 17 3-pointers.

Washington scored the first 13 points of the third quarter and led 76-60. The Magic cut the lead to three later in the quarter but the Wizards were up 96-85 entering the fourth.

In that final period, however, Orlando shut Washington down. The Wizards went 1 of 11 from long distance in the fourth and 5 of 23 from the field.

“Some of the shots we were passing up, we've got to just take them, make or miss,” Wizards guard Delon Wright said. “I feel like that was the biggest thing — just not being confident in some of the shots we were taking.”

The Magic finally took a 105-103 lead on a 3-pointer by Cole Anthony. That was part of a 13-2 run that put Orlando up by eight.

Anthony scored seven of his 16 points in the fourth.

“That midrange, I think we found a time in the possessions that it was a clean look, it was the right look," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "His ability to walk in there and step in there with confidence is what we've asked him to do.”

ADJUSTMENT

Wright credited Orlando's zone defense with helping to turn the tide, and Mosley said the Magic defended well as a team.

“Our guys did a great job communicating," Mosley said. "Our bench was doing a fantastic job of communicating with those guys on the floor, knowing where Kispert was, finding shooters.”

TIP-INS

Magic: Kevon Harris (left elbow) did not play. ... Fultz went 11 of 15 from the field. ... Franz Wagner had 20 points. ... Banchero went 13 of 14 on free throws. The Wizards as a team were just 10 of 12. ... Orlando has won four of five, including two victories over Washington.

Wizards: Kispert's previous career high was 26 points. ... Delon Wright had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Daniel Gafford contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds. ... Rookie Johnny Davis scored 10 points but went 4 of 15 from the field. ... Washington attempted a season-high 50 3-pointers. ... The Wizards used 11 players, although Kispert played 41:52.

UP NEXT

Magic: Host Detroit on Sunday night.

Wizards: At New York on Sunday night.

Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister

Regular Season Series

Series tied 2-2

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 116 - 109
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 116 - 109
4th 18.1 Franz Wagner defensive rebound 116 - 109
4th 21.0 Deni Avdija misses three point jumper 116 - 109
4th 23.0 Wizards Full timeout 116 - 109

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/orl.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originORL https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/wsh.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWSH
44-88 FG 41-105
50 Field Goal % 39
8-24 3PT 17-50
33 Three Point % 34
20-26 FT 10-12
77 Free Throw % 83
48 Rebounds 51
6 Offensive Rebounds 15
42 Defensive Rebounds 36
26 Assists 24
2 Steals 5
14 Blocks 5
10 Turnovers 12
1 Team Turnovers 1
11 Total Turnovers 13
1 Technical Fouls 0
1 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
12 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 18
8 Fast Break Points 19
58 Points in Paint 42
16 Fouls 24
8 Largest Lead 16
Washington Wizards Washington Wizards Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Cam Whitmore, F Out Dec 22
Marvin Bagley III, F Day-To-Day Dec 22
Bilal Coulibaly, G Day-To-Day Dec 22
Orlando Magic Orlando Magic Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Jalen Suggs, G Out Dec 22
Tristan da Silva, F Out Dec 22
Moritz Wagner, F Out Dec 19
Franz Wagner, F Out Dec 8
Colin Castleton, C Out Nov 24

Game Information

Capital One Arena

Location: Washington, DC
Attendance: 16,411 · Capacity:

2025-26 Southeast Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Orlando 16 13 .552 - L1
Miami 15 14 .517 1 L2
Atlanta 15 15 .500 1.5 L3
Charlotte 9 20 .310 7 L2
Washington 5 22 .185 10 L1
Full Standings

NBA News

NBA consecutive scoring streaks: Player records to know

NBA consecutive scoring streaks: Player records to know

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and SGA are among the NBA players with impressive consecutive scoring streaks. Check out other notable records now.

Sources: NBA eyes new ways to combat tanking

Sources: NBA eyes new ways to combat tanking

Sources: NBA eyes new ways to combat tanking

Draymond Green exits court after heated exchange with Steve Kerr

Draymond Green exits court after heated exchange with Steve Kerr

Draymond Green heads to locker room after an argument with coach Steve Kerr during a timeout.

Sources: NBA looking into new ways to prevent teams from tanking

Sources: NBA looking into new ways to prevent teams from tanking

The NBA has begun to gather input from its owners and GMs on new ways to combat tanking, sources told ESPN.

LeBron James and Dillon Brooks: Timeline of tension and trash talk

LeBron James and Dillon Brooks: Timeline of tension and trash talk

The two players have had their fair share of battles on the court through the years.