WASHINGTON _ The Orlando Magic's 2017-18 season has turned into an unmitigated disaster.
The latest blow: an injury to their starting center, Nikola Vucevic.
Vucevic, the team's leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, fractured the metacarpal of his left index finger during the team's 130-103 loss Saturday night to the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena.
Vucevic will have surgery to repair the fracture, and one source with knowledge of the situation said Vucevic is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
Vucevic appeared to hurt his hand when Wizards swingman Otto Porter Jr. reached in for the basketball midway through the first quarter. Vucevic doubled over and immediately clutched his hand, and the Magic called a timeout.
X-rays taken at the arena revealed the fracture, and a team spokesman said Vucevic will be out "indefinitely."
Vucevic entered Saturday averaging 17.8 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game.
His absence is just the latest injury to a significant member of the Magic's rotation.
Elfrid Payton, Fournier, Ross, Gordon and Vucevic comprised the Magic's starting lineup on opening night, and now all of them except for Payton are hurt.
Fournier, Gordon, Ross and rookie Jonathan Isaac sat out Saturday's game against the Wizards, and Magic players already have missed a total of 78 games this season due to injuries or illnesses.
Hampered by those injuries, the Magic have lost eight consecutive games and 19 of their last 22 games.
Fournier, Gordon and Isaac might be able to return for the Magic's next game, which is scheduled for Tuesday in Miami, coach Frank Vogel said before tipoff.
The Magic (11-23) entered the season hoping to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2012. But with a playoff berth now looking highly unlikely, some of the team's fans are calling for the team to tank the rest of its season to try to secure the top odds of winning the 2018 NBA draft lottery.
The Wizards (18-15) hope to improve on their second-round playoff finish last season. On Saturday, they received 10 points and 13 assists from longtime Magic tormentor John Wall, 17 points from Bradley Beal and 17 points from Porter.
During a Saturday morning film session, Vogel told his players to focus on the basics.
"We don't need colossal changes," Vogel said to reporters before the game started. "We just need to do the little things better. They add up. You know, get back with more urgency in transition, you commit more to the defensive glass, you commit more to low-man help in rim protection. Those three areas alone can get you 10 to 15 points a game.
"I think offensively we have some guys that are trying to do the right thing and step up, but we have to make sure that we're continuing to play (unselfishly), and 'stepping up' has to mean creating for others just the same. We missed a few open men last night (against New Orleans), and we forced (shots) at times. It's another area that, if we just do a little bit better job finding the open man, the offense gets a little bit easier. To me, it's just about just asking the group to focus on doing the little things a little bit better, and the other stuff will add up."
Matters are worse now.
Much worse.
Bismack Biyombo, the team's backup center, likely will receive the bulk of the playing time at center during Vucevic's absence.
He's Orlando's best defender at the position, but the Wizards still eviscerated the Magic's defense, making 54.7 percent of their shot attempts.
Payton scored a career-high 30 points and distributed 10 assists.
He needed much more support _ support he's less likely to receive now that Vucevic is injured.
