After dropping their first game to the Miami HEAT last night, the Washington Wizards bounced back with a win over the Orlando Magic, 105-98.

John Wall led the way for the Washington Wizards with 30 points to go along side 12 assists and just 2 turnovers. With rookie Elfrid Payton starting and Luke Ridnour coming off the bench, John Wall had a significant advantage at the position and took advantage of the match up right out of the gate. Even though the Wizards are missing some shooters, including Bradley Beal, Wall has done a terrific job of finding players open on the perimeter. Tonight, Garrett Temple scored 12 points, including two three point shots from the corner. Wall has made life easy for his shooters and he continues to do so. He also contributed with outside scoring, knocking down two three point shots himself. The bigs also did a terrific job of setting screens, and Wall found himself open from mid-range numerous times throughout the game.

Wall puts the #Wizards up 4 with 25 seconds left lulling Fournier to sleep. https://t.co/s2T5JXpZnn — Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) October 31, 2014

Marcin Gortat also finished with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He let Chris Bosh get the best of him last night, and Nikola Vucevic had a good game tonight as well. Vucevic scored 23 points tonight. But overall, I thought Gortat played a great game. Washington took a lot of mid-range shots tonight, but they also executed a few pick-and-rolls with Wall-Gortat that resulted in Sportscenter worthy dunks.

Paul Pierce scored 16 points tonight, and really showed up when the Washington Wizards needed him most in the fourth quarter. Last year, the Washington Wizards struggled to close out games, and it’s clear that they’ll rely on Pierce in that aspect of the game. Ben Gordon defended Pierce in the fourth quarter and the Wizards made sure to feed him in the post. He knocked down consecutive fadeaways to help Washington pull away with the game.

It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s a win nonetheless. The Washington Wizards weren’t able to hold on to a 16 point advantage in the second half, and made it a lot harder than it should’ve been. Every starter scored double digits and they were able to out-rebound the Magic tonight. Although Orlando will likely be heading to the NBA Lottery again this season, the Washington Wizards needed to bounce back after their loss last night.

They’ll meet the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday at the Verizon Center for their home opener.