Wizards show fight in loss to Magic after Bam Adebayo's record-breaking game

Washington bounces back with a strong effort two days after Adebayo scored 83 points against them.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 11:05am

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Although the Washington Wizards lost 136-131 to the Orlando Magic in overtime, they showed more fight and resilience than they had in their previous game against the Miami Heat, where Bam Adebayo scored 83 points. The Wizards trailed by 19 points in the third quarter but rallied to force overtime, with Bilal Coulibaly scoring 13 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game. The Wizards were still upset about how the Heat handled Adebayo's record-breaking performance, but they were proud of how they responded against the Magic.

Why it matters

The Wizards' loss to the Heat, in which Adebayo scored 83 points, left the team embarrassed and angry. This game against the Magic was an important bounce-back opportunity for Washington to show they could respond with fight and resilience, even in a losing effort, after such a devastating defeat.

The details

The Wizards trailed early against the Magic, missing 11 of their first 12 3-point attempts. But they kept trusting the process and making the right plays, and eventually started hitting their shots. A lineup of Bub Carrington, Leaky Black, Will Riley, Bilal Coulibaly and Anthony Gill led a fourth-quarter comeback, with Coulibaly scoring 13 of his 29 points in the final period to tie the game and force overtime. The Wizards were still upset about how the Heat handled Adebayo's record-breaking performance, feeling their tactics were unsportsmanlike.

  • The Wizards faced the Magic two days after Bam Adebayo scored 83 points against them.
  • Coulibaly hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

The players

Bam Adebayo

The Miami Heat player who scored 83 points against the Wizards two nights earlier, setting a new franchise record.

Trae Young

The Wizards' point guard, who said the team wanted to respond in the right way after the loss to the Heat.

Bilal Coulibaly

The Wizards player who scored 13 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to help force overtime against the Magic.

Anthony Gill

A Wizards player who got emotional during the comeback effort, at one point standing over an Orlando player to send a message.

Erik Spoelstra

The Heat's head coach, whose tactics in the final minutes of the Adebayo game were considered unsportsmanlike by the Wizards.

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What they’re saying

“We played way better as a team tonight. We didn't like feeling like how we did after the last game, but that's how you're supposed to feel after a loss. But the way it happened, you want to come back and respond in the right way, and I feel like we did.”

— Trae Young, point guard (nytimes.com)

“The best part of the game was how we trusted each other. We were not shooting the ball well. We kept making the correct play over and over again, hitting the corner, hitting the guy who was open, and we weren't making our 3s. Then, all of a sudden, we started making 'em, because we just kept with the process, and we didn't lose momentum because of that.”

— Brian Keefe, Wizards coach (nytimes.com)

“We did not get the win in the win-loss category, but we definitely got the victory as far as overcoming something as a team and as a unit.”

— Anthony Gill, Wizards player (nytimes.com)

What’s next

The Wizards will look to build on this strong effort when they face the Magic again on Tuesday.

The takeaway

Despite the loss, the Wizards showed they have the fight and resilience to bounce back from a devastating defeat, which should give them confidence going forward as they look to establish themselves as a competitive team in the league.