The Wizards clinched their third straight win in the Magic’s visit to Capital One Arena. Despite not having Bradley Beal, who continues to abide by the security protocols, the capitalists prevailed by 112-106, a triumph that allows them to remain in ninth place in an Eastern Conference that is still very compressed in its upper-middle zone . At the bottom of it are those of Orlando, who suffered this time their tenth loss in a row and remain the worst team in the league.
The crash was marked by the return to the courts of Thomas Bryant, who had been prevented from playing by an injury to the cruciate ligament in his left knee in the last year. The pivot, who suffered this problem on January 9, 2021, had 10 minutes in which he was able to add 6 points, a rebound and an assist, and his return could be an important boost for Washington, as it should be remembered that before The injury seemed to be on the verge of definitely making a qualitative leap. Obviously, it will take time to find his best version, but he certainly has the potential to be important in the fight for the playoffs positions.
“My legs and knees have responded fantastically,” Bryant said. «In general I have felt very well. I feel in perfect condition to play ».
Wes Unseld Jr.’s men were led by another complete performance by Kyle Kuzma, who was on the verge of a triple-double after finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. The former Lakers was one of the six capital players in double digits in scoring, and was closely followed by 17 goals from Spencer Dinwiddie and 16 from Montrezl Harrell, the best of the second unit.
For his part, Cole Anthony also led the Magic with 19 points who paid for their bad start to the game. Those from Florida signed a poor first quarter in which they fell 33-16, a gap that continued to widen and reached 20 points in the second quarter. From there, Mosley’s men were cutting differences until they threatened a comeback, but they never finished catching up with the locals and ended up succumbing.
Apart from Anthony, Terrence Ross stood out with 17 points, as did Robin Lopez with 16. For his part, Franz Wagner again left good feelings by signing a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists.
(Cover photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)