ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Washington Wizards may be in the midst of an especially disappointing season, but they still own the Orlando Magic. All-Star point guard John Wall just smiles at the sight of them now.
Wall scored 24 points and added 10 assists as the Wizards beat the Magic 105-99 on Saturday. It was the fourth time this season they have beaten the Magic and the 12th consecutive time over the past three seasons.
"We just do a great job defensively against this team for some reason," Wall said. "We get rebounds and get out and run. It gives our team a lot of advantages. We match their intensity defensively and when we do, we're a tough team to beat."
The Wizards (16-19) were expected to be serious contenders in the Eastern Conference this season, but have struggled against even the mediocre teams --except against the Magic.
"Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason. It's been a dog fight every time we play them," Washington Coach Randy Wittman said. "We didn't play stellar tonight, but our intensity never wavered. It was everybody tonight. Just a big win for us."
The Magic (20-18) have averaged 94 points in the four losses to the Wizards. Wall averaged 21 points and 10 assists. The Wizards have won only two of their last seven games, beating the Magic twice.
The Wizards had six players score in double figures Saturday. Reserve Gary Neal, Jared Dudley and Otto Porter, Jr. each scored 16 points. Center Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Garrett Temple scored 11 points.
Vucevic led the Magic with 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Victor Oladipo had 17 points. Channing Frye scored 12 points, all in the first half. Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier each had 11 points.
The Magic (20-18) have lost five of their six games in 2016. The Wizards shot 55.3 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from 3-point range.
The Magic never got closer than the final margin of six points in the second half. The Wizards never trailed after grabbing the lead early in the first period.
"All four games, they just put us in a blender with their speed and skill and just owned us," Magic coach Scott Skiles said. "In each game, they've been more physical and we haven't responded to that."
Gortat left the game midway in the final period with his left ear bleeding after being hit in the head by Vucevic. It was an offensive foul. Vucevic was called for a flagrant foul in the third quarter for hitting Gortat in the face while trying to block his shot.
"It seems like we just can't beat them," Fournier said. "They have like three or four guys out but we still can't beat them. I wish I had the answer. I don't even know if it's matchup or the rhythm."
The Wizards led 85-70 going into the final period after Wall hit a running, left handed jumper from 20 feet just as the buzzer sounded.
Porter hit a 3-pointer midway in the third period to give the Wizards a 74-57 lead. He hit back-to-back shots later in the period for an 80-66 lead.
The Wizards led by as many as 17 points midway in the third period.
The Wizards rode a hot-shooting start to a 60-49 halftime lead. They opened by making 23 of 38 shots. Wall and Dudley paced the Wizards early with 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the first two periods.
The Wizards led by as many as 14 points in the second period, but the Magic responded with a 9-0 run and closed to 54-49. The Wizards finished the half by scoring the last six points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Neal.
Frye had 12 points and hit all five of his shots in the first half. The Wizards led through much of the opening period when they scored 12 points off six Magic turnovers.
NOTES: The Wizards were without C/F Nene (strained right triceps), who only recently returned from missing 19 games with a strained left calf muscle. ... The Wizards came into the night having won 11 consecutive games against the Magic, their longest active streak against any NBA team. In the last eight, the Magic have failed to reach 100 points. The streak included three games this season. ... The Wizards have five players averaging in double figures, including four (Bradley Beal, John Wall, Otto Porter and Gary Neal) who are averaging career highs. ... The Magic were without starting PG Elfrid Payton (bone bruise, left ankle) for the fourth consecutive game. They have moved Victor Oladipo into his spot. Oladipo has been on a hot shooting streak, making 11 of 16 3-pointers since replacing Payton. ... Players from nine international professional soccer teams were at the game. They have been training at the nearby ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
