By Canadian Press

Wizards tie franchise mark with 16th straight loss after blowing big lead against Magic

Mar 6, 2024 | 9:55 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Franz Wagner scored 28 points, Paolo Banchero added 25 and the Orlando Magic rallied from a 21-point second-quarter deficit to beat Washington 119-109 on Wednesday night, handing the Wizards their 16th consecutive loss.

Washington (9-53) tied a team record for longest losing streak, matching a skid from the 2009-10 season. The Wizards looked on their way to ending this slide, but were done in by a 44-point second half against one of the league’s best defensive teams.

Orlando (37-26) has won eight of nine. It was the largest comeback of the season for the Magic, who last rallied from a 21-point deficit on Jan. 30, 2023, at Philadelphia. The last time Orlando had a bigger comeback was Nov. 21, 2014, at Charlotte, when the team overcame a 23-point deficit to win.

Jordan Poole scored 26 points for Washington, which hasn’t won since a victory at San Antonio on Jan. 29. Kyle Kuzma added 25 points for the Wizards, who haven’t won at home since Dec. 29 against Brooklyn.

HAWKS 112, CAVALIERS 101

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ATLANTA (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 23 points and Atlanta recovered after losing a 21-point lead to beat Cleveland.

Bogdan Bogdanovic also scored 23 points for the Hawks, who prevented the Cavaliers from sweeping the four-game season series. Jalen Johnson sprained his right ankle early in the third period and was helped off the court.

One night after erasing a fourth-quarter deficit of 22 points in a 105-104 home win over Boston, the Cavaliers rallied to take the lead after trailing the Hawks by 21 points in the third. This time Cleveland couldn’t make the comeback stand.

Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 18 points and 19 rebounds. Isaac Okoro added 17 points.

GRIZZLIES 115, 76ERS 109

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. had 30 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, Jake LaRavia had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Memphis used an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter to rally past Philadelphia.

The Grizzlies trailed by 12 entering the fourth before getting hot in the final minutes much like they did in a win Monday night at Brooklyn. One of the worst teams in the NBA, Memphis has won two in a row following a five-game losing streak. The Grizzlies outscored the 76ers 34-16 in the fourth.

Kelly Oubre Jr. led the 76ers with 25 points and Paul Reed had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

CLIPPERS 122, ROCKETS 116

HOUSTON (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, and Paul George and James Harden each scored 21 as Los Angeles rallied for a win over Houston.

The Clippers trailed by as many as 20 and didn’t lead in the second half until there were less than three minutes remaining.

Los Angeles overcame another big night from Houston big man Alperen Sengun, who had 23 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and 14 assists for his fourth career triple-double. It came a night after he scored a career-best 45 points in a win over San Antonio.

Smith added 19 points for Houston and rookie Cam Whitmore had 17.

BULLS 119, JAZZ 117

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, including the go-ahead basket with a minute left, to lead Chicago past Utah.

Coby White scored 25 points, including seven 3-pointers, and had six assists for the Bulls, who survived a late comeback to beat Utah for the fourth straight time. Nikola Vucevic had 23 points and 12 rebounds.

John Collins led Utah with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Collin Sexton had 24 points and seven assists, and Brice Sensabaugh set career highs with 15 points and 12 rebounds in his first NBA start.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Associated Press