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Wizards look to earn first victory as they face Magic

Nov 8, 2008 - 11:23 AM Washington (0-4) at Orlando (3-2), 7:00pm EST

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- For the fifth time, the Washington Wizards will try to get their first win of the 2008-09 season. This attempt will come against a team riding a hot streak.

The winless Wizards visit the Orlando Magic in an Eastern Conference battle on Saturday. The Magic have won three straight after opening the season 0-2.

Washington has made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, but seems in serious danger of seeing that streak come to an end. Injuries to top scorer Gilbert Arenas and starting center Brendan Haywood seem to have taken their toll. Arenas is out until January following left knee surgery and Haywood is out until the spring with a fractured right wrist.

While the Wizards have managed to put points on the board thanks to the efforts of Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, their defense has left a lot to be desired. They field one of the worst-ranked units in the league, giving up 109.5 points per contest.

That could spell trouble against the Magic, who have found their stride thanks to the duo of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis. The two are averaging 20.2 points apiece, while Howard has added 13.2 boards and 4.2 blocks for good measure. However, his struggles at the free-throw line have continued, as he is hitting just 44 percent (23-of-52) through the first five games of the season.

Orlando has won four of its last five meetings with Washington.