NBA 2019-20: Magic defeat Wizards in one-sided game

After beating one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference to end off 2019, the Washington Wizards lost to the Orlando Magic 122-101 in their first game for 2020.

Bradley Beal returned after missing 2 games due to a calf and leg soreness injury. However, his return didn't help much tonight. He was seen on the stationary bike during the 4th quarter and only saw a few minutes of playing time until exiting with trainers. This is likely due to the already given blowout loss and some lingering soreness, but an update should be given on him later on. Head coach Scott Brooks continuation of irregular rotations carried on as Harrison Mathews, who is coming off a season-high performance, was limited to just 17 minutes tonight. With that being said, here is an analysis of tonight's loss.

Beal comes back, scores 27 for the night

Although Beal exited early, he still has himself a night. He scored 27 points, going 8-20 FG, 9-10 FT, and 2-8 3PT. It was certainly good to see him back in the starting lineup, considering how injured this team is right now. But for now, he could still have some lingering effects from the injury. Since the Wizards have a back-to-back this week, Brooks could opt to keep Beal on the sideline if he needs more time to heal.

McRae, Brown, Smith, Mathews score double-digits

Besides Beal scoring 27 points, most players did not perform well tonight. Jordan McRae scored 15 in 31 minutes of playing time, Troy Brown Jr. scored 14 points, backup guard Ish Msith scored 10 points, and Mathews scored 10 points in the 17 minutes he received. Brooks clearly saw something, as Gary Payton II got just 10 minutes tonight and had been playing well for the most part in terms of both offense and defense, something that no Wizards player has been able to do so far this season.

What's next?

The Wizards continue their home-game schedule and will play the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. Tune-in at 7PM ET.