Jase Richardson, Magic nearly overcome 26-point comeback, but fall to Wizards

Orlando's rookie point guard was key to the team's push in the second half.

Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson celebrates a three point basket against the Golden State Warriors. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are leaving the nation's capital on the losing end of a 120-112 game against the Washington Wizards inside Capital One Arena.

The Magic struggled in the first half and got beat on a lot of effort-based plays by an upstart Wizards team looking to pull off an upset. The Wizards continue to push their foot on the gas in the second half, building a lead as large as 26 points in the third quarter.

That's when Jamahl Mosley subbed out his starters and put in a lineup that featured rookies Jace Richardson, Noah Penda, third-year pro Jett Howard, backup center Goga Bitadze, and veteran point guard Tyus Jones. That group stormed back to make it a two-point game late in the fourth, but that was as close as Orlando would get.

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane takes a shot over Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Magic comeback falls short against Wizards

This was similar to what happened earlier in the season against the Boston Celtics when the team was on a back-to-back and were struggling to keep fresh legs in the game. The Magic are playing once again tomorrow night, so this was Mosley's chance to get a spark out of the bench and to preserve fresh legs for the next game.

The Magic were led by Richardson, who scored a team-high 20 points. He was one of seven Magic players to score in double figures. Desmond Bane had 15 points. Paolo Banchero added 14 while Tristan da Silva had 13. Howard, Bitadze and Penda each had 10 points off the bench.

The Wizards grab their 10th win of the season thanks to 27 points from veteran point guard CJ McCollum. Second-year pro Alex Sarr added 23, while Bilal Koulibaly had 14 and Chris Middleton.

The Wizards also had strong performances off the bench from Justin Champagnie with 17, and Marvin Bagley III had 12.

For the 11th straight game, the Magic have traded wins and losses and have still not won consecutive games in over a month. The lack of consistency the team is showing is not indicative of a team that could make a deep run in the playoffs, but they are still dealing with injuries to Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs.

The Magic return to the court tomorrow night where they take on the Brooklyn Nets. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside the Barclays Center. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.