After a huge win for the Magic on Saturday, they return to the court Monday night to close out their four game road trip. They will take on the Washington Wizards for the third time in less than a month. In those two games the Magic are 1-1. Before the win against the Clippers, the victory against Washington was their last before they started their 10 game losing streak. That victory is also when Glen Davis went down with his shoulder injury.
The Magic are looking to put together back to back wins for the first time in almost a month and will face a much different Wizards team this time around compared to the previous two. Star point guard John Wall returned to the Wizards lineup off the bench Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks. He was the Wizards number one and NBA top overall pick in the 2010 draft. This season he was forced to miss the first 33 games with a stress fracture in his knee. His return to the lineup gives Washington the on court leadership it has been lacking most of the season.
The Magic will look for J.J. Redick, Aaron Afflalo, and Nikola Vucevic to stay hot for Monday night's game. Over the last three games Redick has hit 14 of his last 26 three pointers (53.8%) as well as averaging just over 22 points per game. His play off the bench all season has been outstanding. Afflalo is coming off of his best game of the season against the Clippers Saturday. He tied a season high with 30 points, along with seven rebounds and seven assists. He is averaging just over 22 points a game over his last five. The biggest surprise with his recent play has been Nik Vucevic. Fans wondered why the Magic coveted him so deeply in the Dwight Howard talks, and just now are beginning to see why. The 7-footer from Switzerland has been improving at a rapid rate, enough so to get him a spot in the Rookie-Sophomore game on All-Star Weekend. Over his last five games he is averaging 15 points per game, over 14 rebounds per game, and shooting 55% from the field. If those three players can complement Jameer Nelson the Magic should be able to build some momentum as they end their road trip and head back to Orlando.
Check FSN Florida at 7:00 p.m. ET for the game and all the action.
Comments