Sporting an early-season mohawk, Marcin Gortat paces Washington’s big men with 20 points on 10 of 13 shooting. He also collected 12 rebounds. (John Raoux/Associated Press)

Marcin Gortat recognized the mismatch from across the court and the Washington Wizards center didn’t hesitate. The Wizards were clinging to a three-point lead with under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter against Orlando and Washington needed to stem the Magic’s momentum. So Gortat rifled a skip pass to the opposite wing, finding the man the Wizards brought in for just these situations. Paul Pierce went to work.

The 17-year veteran, enjoying a four-inch height advantage over Magic guard Ben Gordon, dribbled to his right, methodically sized up Gordon, and nailed a turnaround fadeaway jumper from the baseline with 2 minutes 21 seconds remaining.

“Obviously Paul is going to do everything with his speed — two miles an hour — and he’s going to get a bucket,” Gortat said.

Orlando guard Evan Fournier responded with a pair of free throws on the other end, and 30 seconds after he dropped his first baseline jumper over Gordon, Pierce did it again to stymie the surging Magic and give the Wizards their first win of the season, 105-98.

“It brought back memories,” guard Garrett Temple said of Pierce’s takeover. “I was just thinking about what he used to do with the Celtics. That’s why we brought him in. That’s why he’s here, to settle us down, get us in a good spot and we trust him in those situations and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

John Wall’s layup with 28.7 seconds left supplied the finishing touch in the victory, giving the Wizards a split of their two-game swing through Florida to open the season.

The triumph ensured the Wizards will not begin the season as poorly as they did in Coach Randy Wittman’s first two full campaigns at the helm. Two years ago, the Wizards lost their first 12 games as part of a 4-28 start. Last season, they dropped their first three games and seven of their first nine. Thursday night, they nearly let a 16-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate before Pierce and Wall came to the rescue.

Wall led the Wizards with 30 points on 10-of-21 shooting. He rounded out his performance with 12 assists, five rebounds and two steals. It was his second double-double in two nights.

The point guard’s defensive effort and ball security set the tone. Unlike in Miami the previous night, Wall was stout defensively and his aggressiveness trickled down. The Wizards, significantly more active than they were against the Heat, produced 10 steals. On the other end, Wall committed a turnover 16 seconds into the contest and just one more the rest of the way after recording six against the Heat. Following his lead, the Wizards collectively totaled 22 assists to 12 turnovers.

“I’m basically the head of the snake on offensive and defensive ends,” Wall said.

Every member of the Wizards’ starting five scored in double figures. Nene registered 12 points, five assists and four rebounds after missing Wednesday’s loss in Miami while serving a suspension. He completed a potent front-line duo alongside Gortat, who dropped 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against his former team. Pierce contributed 16 points.

But it was Temple, the starting shooting guard in Bradley Beal’s absence, who energized the Wizards’ offense in the first quarter with 10 of his 12 points.

The Post Sports Live crew previews the Washington Wizards season, which opens Wednesday night against the Heat in Miami. (Post Sports Live/The Washington Post)

“We’re an equal-opportunity offense,” said Wittman, whose team shot 48.8 percent from the field. “That’s how we got to play.”

The Wizards played their best in the third quarter. They outscored the Magic 28-15 to build a 17-point margin and trigger Wittman’s decision to remove his starters by the end of the period. But a fourth-quarter letdown nearly capsized Washington.

Orlando cut the Wizards’ lead to two behind Gordon’s 11 fourth-quarter points. Center Nikola Vucevic paced the Magic with 23 points and 12 rebounds and Fournier, the ponytailed French shooting guard starting in place of injured DeMatha product Victor Oladipo, tallied 21 points.

But Wall and Pierce spoiled the comeback. Wall produced nine points in the period, including a key driving layup down the stretch, and Pierce’s two baskets in 30 seconds were the difference.

“We ran our plays and got him the ball and he did what The Truth does: make tough shots,” Wall said.

Pierce’s late-game moxie was one of the significant factors in the Wizards’ offseason pursuit of the veteran to replace Trevor Ariza. The 37-year-old spent 15 seasons delivering clutch shots for Boston and did the same with the Brooklyn Nets last season. Thursday night was a reminder.

“I never went nowhere,” Pierce said. “I still been here. I was doing that last year and the year before and the year before that.”