McCollum's 27 points saved the Wizards from a 120-112 defeat to the Magic.

January 7th - The Wizards defeated the Magic 120-112 . McCollum scored 27 points , 6 rebounds , and 5 assists, while Sal contributed 23 points and 8 rebounds. For the Magic, Richardson scored 20 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent the team's loss.

At the start of the game, the Wizards repeatedly attacked the basket and took the lead midway through the quarter, establishing a 7- point advantage. The Magic responded towards the end of the quarter, with the Wizards holding a slight 30-29 lead at the end of the first quarter . In the second quarter, the Wizards continued to apply pressure on both ends of the court, quickly going on a scoring run to extend their lead to 15 points. Although the Magic attempted to close the gap later in the quarter, they still trailed 50-62 at halftime .

After switching sides, the Wizards briefly went cold, narrowing the gap to around 10 points. As the game progressed, the Wizards regained control, launching a strong offensive and maintaining a clear lead of 101-87 after three quarters . In the final quarter, the Magic once closed the gap to 2 points. At the crucial moment, McCollum hit consecutive key shots, contributing 10 points to stabilize the situation and help his team widen the gap again. Ultimately, the Wizards defeated the Magic 120-112 .

Magic player statistics

Richardson 20 points , 3 rebounds , 3 assists; Bain 15 points , 2 rebounds , 3 assists; Benjamin Bencello 14 points , 4 rebounds, 4 assists; Silva 13 points , 1 rebound , 1 assist ; Bitadze 10 points , 5 rebounds ; Ponda 10 points , 4 rebounds, 2 assists; Howard 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists; Isaac 9 points, 8 rebounds; Black 6 points , 5 rebounds , 4 assists

Wizards player data

McCollum 27 points , 6 rebounds , 5 assists; Sal 23 points , 8 rebounds , 2 assists; Champagne 17 points , 3 rebounds , 3 assists; Koulibaly 14 points , 8 rebounds, 3 assists; Bagley 12 points, 3 rebounds; Middleton 11 points, 7 rebounds , 3 assists; Johnson 6 points , 2 rebounds , 5 assists; Carrington 6 points , 5 rebounds , 4 assists