/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58563987/913949026.jpg.0.jpg)
Tomas Satoransky scored a career-high 19 points as the Wizards picked up their fourth-straight win in a 115-98 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Washington hit the ground running, making five of their first six shots to establish an early lead. It looked like the Wizards might put things away early, but a sloppy, turnover-laden stretch by Washington’s bench allowed the Magic to get back in the game and take the lead in the second quarter.
The starters re-established order when they got back in the game. They finished the second quarter on an 11-2 run and then they opened the third quarter on a 26-12 run to send the game into early garbage time.
Satoransky’s big night will get the headlines, but all of Washington’s starters had effective games. All five players reached doubled figures in scoring and they each had a plus/minus of at least +20.
Takeaways
Tomas Satoransky keeps expanding his range
It would be easy to dwell just on Satoransky’s scoring, but he had a great all-around game. He kept Elfrid Payton in check, ran the offense, kept the offense humming, and made some great moves off the dribble like this:
Sato crossover #WizMagic pic.twitter.com/jYOCQinQCM
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 4, 2018
Also, for the second time in the past four games, he made three 3-pointers in a game. Thanks to this game, he’s now shooting over 42 percent on the season from beyond the arc. He may not have the quick release to ever be a high-volume outside shooter, but he’s making the chances he gets often enough to keep the offense humming.
Game Notes
- Poor Bradley Beal. The game was such a blowout he didn’t get a chance to complete his first career triple-double. He had 18 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds on the night, even though he didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter. Still, it’s probably for the best he didn’t play in the fourth quarter, considering he played 30 of the first 36 minutes.
Bradley Beal's stepback is ice cold.
— NBC Sports Wizards (@NBCSWizards) February 4, 2018
LIVE STREAM: https://t.co/7td26oX1wt pic.twitter.com/wAl8TXbJgC
- Mike Scott missed the game with flu-like symptoms, so Scott Brooks played Jason Smith and Ian Mahinmi together in the second quarter. It did not go well. The bench unit couldn’t find any rhythm together and it was the only time when it looked like the Magic could hang during the game. Hopefully we won’t need to see that pairing outside of garbage time moving forward. There just isn’t enough perimeter mobility on either end to make it work.
Next up: The Wizards head to Indiana to face the Pacers on Monday at 7 p.m.