ORLANDO, Fla._Mario Hezonja looked like he had regressed during the Orlando Magic's first five games and also for the first three quarters of the sixth game. At times early in the season, Jeff Green looked altogether absent.
But without Hezonja, Green and Bismack Biyombo, the Magic would not have beaten the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
For three quarters, the Magic offense looked inept.
Hezonja and Green rescued the offense, and Biyombo's defense gave a critical spark.
The trio keyed a run at the start of the fourth quarter that erased a nine-point deficit and lifted the Magic to an 88-86 win over the Wizards at Amway Center.
Orlando trailed 70-61 to begin the final period but started the quarter on 20-5 run that began with a pair of jumpers by Hezonja, a jumper by Green and a pair of free throws by Green.
Green added to the momentum with a smart play followed by a hustle play.
Stationed on the perimeter, he passed the ball to wide-open Evan Fournier, allowing Fournier to hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 73-72. Following a miss on the ensuing Wizards possession, Green belly-flopped to the parquet court to prevent the ball from going out of bounds over the baseline. A few seconds later, Hezonja sank a catch-and-shoot jumper that put Orlando ahead 74-73.
Green made another key contribution a few minutes later.
With Washington ahead 82-81 and Orlando slogging its way through another offensive possession, Green took a pass from Elfrid Payton and rattled in a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 3:34 remaining.
Even then, it wasn't easy. Markieff Morris missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the score 87-87 with 31 seconds to go, and Marcin Gortat then missed a putback layup attempt.
Green finished with a team-high 18 points while Hezonja added nine points and also recovered a loose ball with 2.0 seconds left and Orlando clinging to a 88-86 lead.
Biyombo added nine points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Nikola Vucevic missed a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds to go, giving the Wizards one more chance. But Morris missed a wide-open 3 from the right wing as time expired that would have given Washington the win.
The game should have been easier for the Magic (3-3) because the Wizards (1-4) chose to rest their best player, John Wall. The All-Star point guard underwent surgeries on both knees in May, and Wizards officials rested him because their team was playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Wall's absence should have been a gift to the Magic. He played the integral role in the Wizards' 12-game winning streak over the Magic that they carried into Saturday.
The Wizards should have struggled without him Saturday.
Orlando took a 32-29 lead on an Aaron Gordon 3-pointer midway through the second quarter.
That's when Washington took a big lead.
The Wizards went on a 16-2 run keyed by a pair of layups by Marcus Thornton, a 3-pointer by Morris and a dunk by Morris off a pass by Bradley Beal.
The outburst took less than four minutes, but it was decisive. Washington suddenly led 45-34.
Orlando's halfcourt offense struggled the entire first half.
The team struggled from 3-point range, making only three of its 15 attempts from beyond the arc, and the rest of the offense lacked ball movement.
Payton had an awful first half, going 0 for 5 from the field _ having a short floater bounce out of the rim and missing a wide-open 3 from the left corner. He also recorded only one assist while he committed two turnovers.
Tomas Satoransky, a 25-year-old rookie from the Czech Republic, started for Washington at point guard in Wall's place. Listed at 6-feet-7, he enjoyed a height advantage over Payton and used that advantage to post up Payton on one first half play. Satoransky finished with eight points and three assists.
Payton scored his first points of the game on Orlando's first possession of the third quarter, sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to cut the deficit to 50-43.
The basket ignited a 13-4 Magic run to begin the second half. Serge Ibaka followed Payton's trey with a 3-pointer of his own from the top of the arc, and Gordon made a 3 from the left corner to whittle the deficit to 54-53.
The Magic couldn't maintain their momentum.
The Wizards opened their lead back to 68-57 after a three-point play by former Magic power forward Andrew Nicholson with 3:16 left in the third quarter.
The Magic were in trouble.
But Green, Hezonja and Biyombo rescued them.
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