The Washington Wizards posted another poor shooting performance last night in a 94-82 loss to the Orlando Magic.
The Wizards are now 0-3 in the young NBA season—their worst start since 1992.
The Wizards are shooting a league-worst 35 percent from the field through three games, and failed to show much energy in front of a sellout crowd of 20,173 at Verizon Center.
The Wizards led after three quarters, but were nearly outscored as a team by Hedo Turkoglu in the fourth. Turkoglu had 13 of his game-high 25 points in the final 12 minutes.
Gilbert Arenas managed only 10 points on 5-15 shooting, and missed all four of his three-point attempts. Arenas told the Washington Post that his surgically repaired knee felt "stiff" after the game.
"I have a lot of fluid in there right now," said Arenas, "It feels like I'm carrying a five-pound weight around."
Coming off a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, the Wizards looked lethargic. The team is trying to find its rhythm, and has struggled shooting the ball in each of its first three games. The Wizards' 0-16 performance from beyond the three point arc on Friday night set an NBA record for futility.
With four days off before a tilt against the Nets in New Jersey, the Wizards need to hit the gym and find an answer to the unexpected offensive woes.
A lone bright spot thus far has been center Brendan Haywood, who grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds on Saturday to go with 10 points and five blocked shots. Haywood has stepped up to fill the shoes of Etan Thomas, who's out for the season after undergoing heart surgery last month.
In a contract year, Arenas is likely to recover his All-Star form if his knee can withstand the stress. His team needs "The Hibachi" back to help climb out of this early hole.
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