Washington Wizards edge Orlando Magic in the season opener

The Washington Wizards began the 2015 campaign on Wednesday night, defeating the Orlando Magic by a score of 88-87. As the score very much indicates, this game came right down to the last seconds of play.

Despite scoring just 12 points in the third quarter, the Wizards were able to put together a couple of runs in the fourth while withstanding a 9-0 run by the Magic with under two minutes to go and grab a victory. However, it was far from easy.

The Wizards found themselves trailing by five with under a minute and a half to go, but two Marcin Gortat free throws followed by a tip-in from Otto Porter Jr. pulled the team within one with 50 seconds to go.

The Wizards had the ball down 87-86 with 19.7 second remaining and looked to none other then John Wall in the final seconds. He took the ball straight to the cup and layed in the go-ahead bucket with 12.7 seconds to go.

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Orlando had a chance to win the game with under ten seconds to go in the game when Tobias Harris attempted the go-ahead shot that bounced on the rim a number of times before just falling out. It was initially called as a goal-tending on Washington, which would have given Orlando the lead. However, after a second glance at it, the ruling was an offensive goaltending on the Magic. They had one more chance with 3.5 second remaining, but Nik Vucevic’s attempted game-winner fell short, as the Wizards grab a close one-point victory on opening night for 24 NBA teams.

Not only did John Wall hit the game-winning layup, but he also filled up the stats sheet, recording 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, five steals, and three blocks. Bradley Beal lead the team in scoring, scoring 24 points and grabbing six rebounds.

Khris Humphries and Gortat also ended the game with double-digits in the scoring category, scoring 11 and ten respectively. Otto Porter Jr. rounded out the starting five, scoring seven points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Next: Wizards tip off their season in Orlando

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