Wizards get late basket from Wall, rally to beat Magic 88-87

ORLANDO — John Wall hit a floater with 12.7 seconds to play and the Washington Wizards rallied to defeat the Orlando Magic 88-87 Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 24 points, followed by Wall with 22.

The Magic had a chance to win in the closing seconds, but Nik Vucevic's jumper bounced off the rim as time expired.

Orlando built an eight-point lead early on the fourth quarter, before a 12-0 spurt by the Wizards erased it. A 3-pointer by rookie Mario Hezonja and dunk by Tobias Harris capped a 9-0 Magic response to put them back on top 87-82 with less than two minutes to play.

Victor Oladipo led the Magic with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Harris added 15 points.

Building on the blueprint that saw them average a league-high 112 points per game during the preseason, the Wizards kept a frenetic pace in the first half.

The results were mixed.

Washington connected on six of its first nine shots, but the Magic absorbed the spurt and generally were able to match the Wizards' energy level.

Orlando also got an added offensive boost of its own with Hezonja, who came off the bench and scored eight points in just three minutes.

The game slowed down in the second half as both teams relied more on half-court sets.

The Wizards also survived despite going just 15 of 25 from the free-throw line.

TIP-INS: Washington outscored the Magic 17-12 in fast-break points. ... The Wizards played without Alan Anderson (ankle surgery) and Martell Webster (right hip). ... Wednesday was Wizards coach Randy Wittman's 56th birthday. "I don't count them anymore," Wittman said before the game. "I've reached that point." It marks the first time that he has coached an NBA game on this date. ... The Magic outscored the Wizards 46-30 in the paint. ... Orlando plays five of its first eight games on the road. Five of its first six opponents were playoff teams last season. ... Former Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu (2004-09 and 2010-13) was in the crowd. The 36-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Clippers and is currently not on an NBA roster. He has played 997 career games in 15 seasons.

UP NEXT: Orlando hosts Oklahoma City on Friday. The Heat visit Milwaukee on Friday.