The Numbers Crunch: Wizards smacked in second half by Magic’s second-ranked defense

Last night’s matchup between the Wizards and Orlando Magic promised to be something of a rock fight, and for the first half, it was. Then the Magic blew it open in the third quarter, ran their lead as high as 26 points, and coasted home with a comfortable 20-point win.

Offense was an adventure for both teams, especially in the first half. That made sense considering these have been the two worst offensive teams in the NBA this season. A key difference, which showed in the second half, is that Orlando entered the night second in defense while Washington ranked 29th.

None of Washington’s starters played well. Jordan Poole was the “best” starter — he needed 16 shots to score 16 points. His…