Washington Wizards stay hot and power through Orlando Magic

The Washington Wizards remain hot after defeating the Orlando Magic 120-112 on Tuesday night. 

A strong performance from Washington gave them as much as a 26 point lead tonight, but Orlando surged in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to only two points. 

However, Washington would ultimately prevail as CJ McCollum, Alex Sarr and Justin Champagnie led the way, on the offensive end. 

On the defensive end, Bilal Coulibaly would shine with five steals, being a +25 on the court. Coulibaly was tasked with guarding Paolo Banchero for a majority of the game, but Coulibaly would not back down. 

Due to the defensive efforts of Coulibaly and Washington, Banchero was close to a non-factor tonight only scoring 14 points with four turnovers. 

The veteran McCollum would lead the game in scoring with 27 points in 38 minutes on 11/19 from the field. 

McCollum continues his streak of effective play since the start of December, averaging 21.3 points in his last 17 games. Amidst trade rumors involving Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks, McCollum has been a surprisingly good addition for this young Washington team. 

Breakout center Alex Sarr had another excellent performance tonight, scoring 23 points and notching eight rebounds in 31 minutes. 

Although the scoring varies, Sarr has proven to be an elite shot blocker, as he swatted four shots tonight. As a sophomore, Sarr's 2.3 blocks per game leads the entire NBA -- truly remarkable. 

Sarr came up clutch during Orlando's late rally, recording three off his blocks in the final three minutes of the game. His presence around the rim haw proven to be pivotal in certain games, especially those that are close. 

Coming off the bench, Justin Champagnie scored 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 22 minutes.

Champagne's ability to defend, rebound and shoot provides Washington much value. That value was apparent tonight as Champagnie had a +10 while on the court. 

Over his last eight games, Champagnie has seen a bump in playing time where he has completely taken advantage.,

Champagnie is averaging 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 23.9 minutes a game since December 23. 

Washington has gotten to the 10 win mark 22 games quicker than last season when it took them 57 games to do so. The encouraging play of the young core alongside the veterans has been impressive recently, resulting in six wins over the last 10 games for Washington. 

The Wiz Kids are back in action tomorrow night where they'll take on the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.