Wizards reach .500 for first time since 2009
Trevor Ariza scored 24 points, John Wall had 16 points and 13 assists, and the Washington Wizards beat the Orlando Magic, 98-80, on Monday night.
Trevor Ariza scored 24 points, John Wall had 16 points and 13 assists, and the Washington Wizards beat the Orlando Magic, 98-80, on Monday night.
Nene scored 14 points and Marcin Gortat finished with 13 as Washington (9-9) got to .500 for the first time since it split its first four games of the 2009-10 season.
With top scorer Bradley Beal out of the lineup for the fifth straight game, Ariza supplied the offense. He was 8 for 9 from the field and made each of his four three-point attempts, three off passes from Wall.
The Wizards have won seven of nine and are 4-1 since Beal went out with a leg injury.
Arron Afflalo scored 21 points for Orlando, and Victor Oladipo added 13 points and six rebounds in a special game for the rookie. Oladipo was born in nearby Silver Spring, Md., and raised in Upper Marlboro, Md.
Ariza, Nene and Wall combined for all the points as Washington scored 24 in the final 6:07 of the half. When Wall hit an off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer, the Wizards had an 11-point lead.
Bad hand for Nets
The Brooklyn Nets' injury list lengthened with the announcement that forward Paul Pierce will miss up to four weeks with a broken shooting hand. Pierce fractured the third metacarpal in his right hand during Friday's game against the Houston Rockets. The injury-plagued Nets also are without guard Deron Williams, forward Andrei Kirilenko, and guard Jason Terry.
Pierce is on pace for the worst season of his 16-year career. His average of 12.4 points and .368 shooting percentage would easily be the lowest ever for the No. 2 career scorer in Celtics history.
The Celtics dealt Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets in a summer blockbuster that hasn't worked out nearly the way the Nets hoped.
Pierce will miss the first matchup against the Knicks on Thursday. Next week, he was scheduled to face the Celtics for the first time Tuesday and former coach Doc Rivers, now with the Clippers, two nights later.
The 36-year-old Pierce has made just 27 percent of his three-point attempts, including a potential tying miss in the closing seconds of a loss to the Lakers last Wednesday.
L.A. loses another point
Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Farmar left Sunday night's game against Portland after playing just 56 seconds. Farmar is off to a strong start in his return to the Lakers, where he won two NBA titles before playing in New Jersey and Turkey.
Farmar is the second injured point guard for the Lakers, who have had Steve Nash in their lineup for just six games this season. - Associated Press