ORLANDO — Dwight Howard directed his most passionate words of the night at an inanimate object.



Magic center Nikola Vucevic had just hacked Howard’s arms hard enough to force a layup off target. The Wizards were off to an uncharacteristically quick start Friday, up 13-5 in Orlando. Howard may not have gotten his way that particular time, but he was taking control against his former team.



The ball rolled off the left side of the rim, keeping the Wizards center from points five and six on the evening. And if it didn’t want to go where Howard was trying to guide it, he was going to give that dang ball a piece of his mind before he went to the line for two free throws.



So, he palmed it, balanced it out in front of him and peered into it as if he were holding a Magic 8-Ball. The Wizards, after all, could use any sort of clairvoyance. He walked from the stanchion and toward the Washington bench with a corny, Howard-esque smile on his...