Butler Scores 29 Second-Half Points, But Magic Holds Off Wizards 89-80

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap

I think right about now it is safe to say that the Washington Wizards miss Gilbert Arenas immensely; sounds like a cop-out or an excuse, right? In a sense it is, but they are a team that has the most incredible streak of bad luck this side of Oklahoma City (pun intended), not to mention the rash of injuries that make it very difficult to field a competitive team night in and night out - yet the show must go on. Timeline is Tuesday and the venue is Amway Arena and unfortunately for the Wizards, their opponent is the Orlando Magic.

Neither team exactly shot the lights out, and the unexpected nearly happened as the Wizards’ Caron Butler scored 29 second-half points yet it wasn’t nearly enough as Orlando held off Washington 89-80 in a close contest. Both teams shot OK in the opening quarter as the Magic outscored the Wizards 30-24, but the second period was night and day different as neither team could shoot the broad side of a barn; both teams combined to score a grand total of 22 - that’s not a typo - points in the quarter. Going into halftime, Orlando took to their locker room a 46-30 lead.

The Magic led by as many as 17 in the third quarter but Butler took over for the Wizards in the period; he would help the Wizards get to within 70-63 going into the final frame. The Magic opened the fourth quarter shooting 3-of-15 as the Wizards crept to within 83-80 in the final 2 minutes of the game; Nelson made a basket and Howard hit a pair of free throws, however, icing the win for Orlando.

Hedo Turkoglu led all Magic scorers with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals while Howard added 15 with 16 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot. Washington was led by Butler with 29 points - all of them in the second half - with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals while Antawn Jamison added 13 with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Orlando (27-8) plays again on Wednesday when they make the short trip to Atlanta to take on the Hawks while Washington (7-26) returns home to host the Toronto Raptors - also on Wednesday.

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