Orlando Magic scratch another starter prior to matchup vs. Wizards

Basketball fans looking forward to a jump ball between Wendell Carter Jr. and Julian Reese, younger brother of WNBA star Angel Reese, are going to be disappointed. Carter, Reese's boyfriend, was scratched from the Orlando Magic starting lineup less than hour prior to tip-off against the shorthanded Washington Wizards.

Goga Bitadze will start in Carter's place and presumably contest the opening tip against Reese, who will start in the middle due to Washington's injury woes. The Wizards are playing the second of a back-to-back.

The Orlando Magic have been strong at home this season, but have been humbled by the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons in their last two outings at Kia Center. Both served as a reminder that the Magic have a long way to go to be lumped in with serious title contenders despite the postseason being only six weeks away.

They now have more injury-related obstacles to overcome since point guard Anthony Black is also out due to the quad contusion that kept him out vs. Detroit.

The Magic haven’t won at Kia Center since Feb. 9 and will look to get back on track against the Washington Wizards, who come in 28 games under .500, making them the fourth-worst team in the NBA. Orlando has suffered through a three-game home losing streak for the first time all season even though the skid spans over three full weeks due to the All-Star break and a lengthy Western swing.

Orlando hasn’t lost four straight home games since a five-game skid from Feb. 25-March 6 last season and will look to end its current slump by avoiding back-to-back losses to Washington for the first time since the start of the 2022-23 season.

INJURY REPORT

WIZARDS

Trae Young: Out - Right MCL Quad Contusion

Anthony Davis: Out - Left Finger Sprain

Alex Sarr: Out - Right Hamstring Strain

Kyshawn George: Out - Left Elbow Sprain

Tristan Vukcevic: Out - Left Thigh Contusion

Anthony Gill: Out - Illness

Jamir Watkins: Out - Left Ankle Sprain

Cam Whitemore.: Out - Right Shoulder Deep Vein Thrombosis

D’Angelo Russell: Out - Not With Team

MAGIC

Wendell Carter: Out - Left Ankle Soreness

Anthony Black: Out - RIght Calf Contusion

Franz Wagner: Out - Left High Ankle Sprain Injury Management

Alex Morales: Out - G League (Two-way)

Colin Castleton: Out - G League (Two-way)

PROJECTED STARTERS

WIZARDS

F Will Riley

F Bilal Coulibaly

C Julian Reese

G Bub Carrington

G Tre Johnson

MAGIC

F Tristan da Silva

F Paolo Banchero

C Goga Bitadze

G Jalen Suggs

G Desmond Bane

Vitals - How to Watch Wizards at Magic

Game date, time and location: Tuesday, March 3, 7:10 p.m. EST, Kia Center, Orlando, Florida

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Magic), Monumental Sports Network (Wizards)

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game/AM 740 WYGM (Magic), 106.7 The Fan (Wizards)

Magic look to get back on track as heavy favorite vs. Wizards

The Orlando Magic (31-28) host the Washington Wizards (16-44) in the third matchup between these teams this season, having split the first two meetings in November and January. Both of those games were in D.C.

Orlando rolled 124-95 on Nov. 1 behind Paolo Banchero’s 28 points, but lost the most recent meeting (Jan. 6) after CJ McCollum, who has since been moved to Atlanta in the Trae Young deal, torched it for 27 points. Rookie Jase Richardson led the Magic with 20 points in the loss. These teams will meet one last time during the regular season in Central Florida on March 12.

The Magic have dominated the season series of late, winning 11 in a row prior to the meeting in 2026’s first week. Washington won seven straight prior to Orlando’s run, which preceded a six-game Magic win streak that began to open the 2019-20 season. That put the Magic at 17-8 over the past 25 encounters between these division rivals. They own an 84-61 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1990 and saw the then-Washington Bullets win the first five matchups.

Betting Lines (via DraftKings)

Spread: Magic -16.5 (-105), Wizards +16.5 (-115)

Moneyline: Magic -1350, Wizards +800

Total: 227.5 (Over -115, Under -105)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

QUOTABLE

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley on forward Paolo Banchero’s criticism regarding halftime adjustments: “I think the one adjustment Detroit made – they just played a little harder. There was no schematic adjustment that they made."