Washington Wizards vs. Orlando Magic: NBA Preview
All eyes are set on the upcoming game of Washington Wizards against Orlando Magic on February the 1st. Will Wizards be able to avenge the last ignominious defeat against Magic or will the Magic continue to reel and succumb to their fifth loss in as many games?
The last time, the Wizards stepped onto the court against Orlando, the only thing they took away was a 19 point defeat. The game scheduled at Amway Centre, Orlando on 4th January concluded 103 - 85 in the favour of Magic.
However much has changed since in the Magic locker room. The impetus behind Orlando’s power, Dwight Howard, has been eyeing a trade as he grows weary of the downfall of Orlando and most of all, the Magic have lost 4 consecutive games.
The chemistry between the players and Howard has been the worst ever, especially after losing the game to New Orleans Hornets 93-67 last Friday. Howard scored 28 points and had 16 rebounds; he was the only player who looked committed to fighting for the cause.
Frustrated by the team’s performance he said,
“I look at guys and they don’t look like they want to play. I told them at halftime, ‘If you don’t want to play, just stay in the locker room, because it don’t make sense for a team who we should beat to just demolish us.’ ”
The same ambivalence lied in his game against Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night in which they lost the game by 5 points; 74 – 69. Unlike his regular game he raised eyebrows all over. Howard attempted 17 shots and succeeded in 6, similarly he scored 5 of 13 attempts from the free throw line. To add grief to his worries he was contained by Tony Battie throughout the game.
The prevailing scenario has disrupted the team spirit and other players performance has been affected abruptly.
Would Wizards be able to hit the Achilles’ heel? Well, they haven’t been able to turn things around in their favour so far this season.
They have only won 4 and lost 17 games so far, the most recent was the victory over Charlotte Bobcats.
There have been rumours of certain trades at Wizards starting with Andray Blatche whose inconsistent performance wouldn’t inflict many worries after his departure.
Washington has lost seven straight games to Magic, and with or without Howard the result is expected to be the same.
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