Wizards Have Golden Opportunity vs. Magic

The Washington Wizards will face a short-handed Orlando Magic squad.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 9, 2024

Mar 6, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket as Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

ORLANDO — The Washington Wizards road trip is set to continue to central Florida as they take on the Orlando Magic.

The Wizards have some admiration for the Magic in their ability to undergo a quick turnaround. Just two seasons after selecting Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Magic made the playoffs. However, they lost in seven games as the No. 5 seed at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of last spring's playoffs.

The Magic were off to a 3-1 start this season before Banchero suffered a torn oblique in Orlando's loss on Oct. 30 against the Chicago Bulls. The injury will sideline Banchero for 4-6 weeks, and he won't play in tonight's game against the Wizards.

With Banchero out, the Magic have struggled, which gives the Wizards an opportunity to pull off an upset victory on the road.

The Magic saw Banchero go down on the first matchup of a five-game road trip, so the team had to adjust to life without him while also dealing with playing away from Orlando.

The Magic are far better at home, and that will provide the Wizards a challenge, but not an impossible one.

The Wizards have been giving each of their opponents a lot of energy, and sometimes that has ended in a winning result, like it did against the Atlanta Hawks twice earlier in the season. If the Wizards can take advantage of not having to face Banchero and provide that spark of energy they have shown throughout the season, they may have a chance to pull one away from their Southeast Division rivals.

The Wizards and Magic are set to tipoff tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET from the Kia Center.

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Published Nov 9, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.