ORLANDO, Fla. _ The Orlando Magic felt confident leading into the weekend.
In their eight prior games, including a dominant victory Wednesday, they played some of their best offense this season. The Magic averaged 111.6 points per 100 possessions, the fifth-highest offensive rating in the NBA during that stretch. Playing without their best all-around offensive player and the focal point of their offense, Nikola Vucevic, the Magic finally heeded coach Frank Vogel's pleas to share the basketball and move the ball through the pass instead of through aimless dribbling.
On Saturday night, however, that progress came to a sudden halt.
Shooting just 44 percent and turning the ball over 20 times, the Magic lost to the Washington Wizards, 115-98, at Amway Center. In a sign of how badly their offense struggled, the Magic managed only 17 assists on their 34 baskets.
The Magic's defense was awful, too, allowing the Wizards to make 54 percent of their shots.
All five Wizards starters scored in double figures, including point guard Tomas Satoransky, the fill-in for injured All-Star John Wall. Satoransky scored a career-high 19 points and dished out six assists.
Orlando has lost 17 of its last 19 games against Washington.
On Wednesday, the Magic throttled the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-105. A victory Saturday over the Wizards would've given the Magic their first two-game winning streak since they defeated the New York Knicks on Nov. 8 and beat the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 10.
And now, the Magic are still waiting.
Wall has missed the Wizards' last four games, but the Wizards won all four.
Magic power forward Aaron Gordon missed his third consecutive game because of a strained left hip flexor. Gordon attempted to practice Friday, but he completed only a portion of the workout.
"He felt pretty good before doing live work, and when he did live work he realized that it's not quite there yet," Vogel said before tipoff. "So he's disappointed that he's not able to play, a little bit frustrated. We'll see how he looks (Sunday), how he feels (Sunday). And that'll probably decide what'll happen in the next two games."
For a while Saturday, the Magic (15-36) showed some life against the Wizards (30-22).
Midway through the second quarter, reserve center Khem Birch followed a missed 3-pointer by Shelvin Mack with a thunderous put-back dunk, cutting the Wizards' lead to 40-37. A few seconds later, Wes Iwundu stole a pass by Markieff Morris and scored on a layup. On Washington's next possession, Mack stole the ball from Bradley Beal, and Mack completed the play with a layup, giving Orlando its first lead of the game.
After five more lead changes, Orlando went ahead 47-46 when Bismack Biyombo laid the ball in with 4:21 remaining in the second quarter.
But Washington closed out the half by scoring 10 consecutive points. The Magic went 0 for 5 from the field with four turnovers during that stretch.
The Magic's struggles continued early in the third quarter.
Satoransky made a 3-pointer from the right corner to extend the Wizards' lead to 64-49. A short while later, Satoransky drained a wide-open 3 from the left corner, putting the Wizards ahead 69-54.
Vogel, frustrated with the defensive lapses, called a timeout.
He subbed out third-quarter starters Elfrid Payton, Jonathon Simmons, Mario Hezonja and Biyombo and replaced them with D.J. Augustin, Mack, Iwundu and Marreese Speights.
The move didn't make a dent.
The Wizards only built more momentum and eventually went ahead 86-62 on a 3-pointer by Beal.
When the game ended, some fans within the arena booed.
