from the starting lineup due to a right knee sprain,

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the Washington Wizards arent sure if seeding matters. Washington rallied to beat Orlando 96-86 and move a game ahead of Charlotte for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with three games left. If the Wizards hold on to the sixth seed, they will face either Toronto or Chicago in the first round. If they drop to No. 7, its either Indiana or Miami. "I think it matters where we finish, but Ive never been in the playoffs so I dont really know how it goes," said Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who had 16 points against Orlando. "No matter who we get, its going to be a tough series and were going to have to pick it up offensively. I think defensively, were solid, but were going to have to start knocking down more shots." The Wizards were just 2 for 19 on 3-pointers and Beal made both of those. The bulk of their offence came right around the rim where Nene had 17 points, Trevor Booker 14 and Marcin Gortat 10. Point guard John Wall created most of those opportunities, handing out 12 assists to go with 10 points. "We didnt make shots, but defensively, we won the game," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "We never did shoot the ball particularly well, but we never lost the edge defensively." Orlando will not be in the playoffs this season, but had hoped to build some positive momentum for next season after winning its last two games. Instead, the Magic resorted to season-long problems executing their offence in the fourth quarter of close games. The Magic were 4 for 15 (26.7 per cent) from the field in the final period and committed five turnovers. Arron Afflalo, who led the Magic with 19 points, had the teams only field goal in the final six minutes. "You cant just be helter-skelter out there," Afflalo said. "Weve got to be decisive about what you want to accomplish. That comes with maturity and growth." "In the first half, we moved the ball a lot and were making plays," added Tobias Harris, who scored 10 points. "We got away from that in the second half and didnt get any defensive stops." Jameer Nelson had 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for Orlando and Kyle OQuinn added 13 points and nine rebounds. Struggling from the perimeter nearly the entire game, Washington kept its focus in the paint in the fourth quarter. Leading 83-82 with just over four minutes to play, the Wizards scored nine straight points on two dunks, two layups and a free throw to push the lead to 10 points. Afflalo ended the Magics scoring drought with a 3-pointer, but that was the only field goal Orlando could muster in the final 6 minutes. The Wizards held Orlando to just 37 per cent shooting in the second half and forced 13 turnovers. That helped make up for Washington shooting just 42.7 per cent in the game. Washington erased a six-point halftime deficit when Orlando committed six turnovers in the first 5 minutes of the second half. Booker had eight points as the Wizards grabbed a 60-57 lead on Walls 18-foot jumper with 6:42 left in the third quarter. Nelson, part of Orlandos ballhandling troubles, got control of the Magic offence and helped rally his team to 70-67 lead by the end of the quarter. The Magic took advantage of the Wizards horrendous shooting to jump out to a 29-17 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Washington was 2 for 15 in the first 8 minutes of the game, most of them wayward perimeter shots early in the shot clock. Afflalo had 14 points and OQuinn and Doron Lamb eight each as Orlando had an easy time with the listless Wizards for much of the first half. Washington moved its offensive focus inside in the second period and the result was a run of layups and free throws that cut the deficit to 51-45 by halftime. Washington was 15 of 20 from the free throw line, helping offset a 14-for-40 shooting half from the field. NOTES: Washington swept Orlando for the first time since the Magics expansion season in 1989-90. ... The Magic got another surprising shooting display from a reserve guard. Doron Lamb was 3 for 4 on 3s and scored 11 points. Last game, ETwaun Moore was 5 for 5 from beyond the arc and scored 17 points. ... Wizards G Andre Miller fouled out in just 10 minutes. He didnt score. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . "We were left with the overall impression that the team wasnt trending toward being able to compete for a Stanley Cup," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in a news conference at the clubs arena. "And that was just a clear signal and why it was time to make those changes. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . General Manager Sam Presti said the three-time All-Star had knee swelling that would not subside, and the procedure was intended to solve the problem. He said doctors determined that a loose stitch was to blame for the swelling, that Westbrooks lateral meniscus has healed properly and the procedure was successful. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/. Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin. NHL Jerseys Outlet . -- Ryan Gropp scored in overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds shut out the Spokane Chiefs 1-0 in Western Hockey League play Tuesday. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . The judge sternly instructed the prosecutor to restrain himself and he apologized -- then went right back to trying to pick holes in the testimony of the double-amputee runner. It was a harsh day of cross-examination for Pistorius, challenged relentlessly about his account of the moments just before he killed Reeva Steenkamp, as well as circumstances related to several firearms charges against him, including the firing of a gun in a crowded restaurant.PHOENIX -- Some Suns fans made the mistake of disrespecting Jerryd Bayless Phoenix roots. He made regret their words. The Memphis guard came off the bench to score 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Grizzlies to a 99-91 win over Phoenix on Thursday night. The Grizzlies overcame 33 points from Suns guard Goran Dragic to improve to 14-17. Bayless was born and raised in Phoenix, played high school ball just north of the US Airways Center and played in college at Arizona. He helped the Grizzlies recover from the Suns 18-0 third-quarter run, giving Memphis a 94-84 lead on a 3-pointer with 4:30 to play. "Well, some guys on the sidelines said that I disgraced St. Marys (high school)," Bayless said. "That kind of hurt my feelings and that got me going a little bit." Zach Randolph had 20 points and 15 rebounds in helping the Grizzlies cool the Suns for a night, the second win for the visitors in two meetings between the teams this season. Ed Davis added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Dragic scored 15 of his points during the Suns big third quarter. Dragic added seven assists and finished with a career high in points on the night the Suns gave away thousands of bobbleheads bearing his likeness. The Suns (19-12) couldnt fight off the Grizzlies, who scored seven straight points to regain the lead after trailing by four to start the final quarter. Bayless fueled the run with a 3-pointer and jumper to give the Grizzlies an 80-75 lead with 9:31 left to play. "It was their bench that killed us again," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "These guys, if they dont think that Ed Davis and Bayless are good players, theyre crazy." Dragic drilled a 3-pointer after a layup by Davis and hit another after a layup by James Johnson to pull Phoenix within 84-81, but the Suns never got the lead back. "Memphis is not a good matchup for us," Dragic said. "They have a lot of big guys under the rim and they attack the paint." The Suns led 26-22 after one quarter, but struggled with their shooting in the second, when they made jjust 6 of 23 from the floor.dddddddddddd Memphis took a five-point lead on a driving layup from Mike Conley with 7:26 to play in the quarter. Then Conley flipped a no-look pass behind his back to Davis for the assist on a basket and a 38-31 lead. The Suns cut the lead to 46-41 on a dunk from Markieff Morris with 2:20 left in the half, but the Grizzlies scored the next seven points and took a 53-41 lead into the break. Randolph, who didnt play in the first meeting between the teams this season in Tennessee, led Memphis with 14 first-half points and grabbed eight rebounds. The Suns missed nine of 11 3-point attempts in the first half. The Suns 41 first half points was one away from their season low of 40 last week at Golden State. It didnt take long, however, for Phoenix to get back into the game. The Suns scored 16 unanswered points over a three-minute span in the third quarter, including Dragics step-back jumper that gave them a 58-57 lead. The Suns scoring streak reached 18 straight points on P.J. Tuckers layup with 6:12 left in the quarter that gave them a 62-57 lead. Memphis finally broke the run with Conleys two free throws at the 5:43 mark. "We weathered the storm," Randolph said. "When J.B. (Bayless) hits shots like that it opens up for us. We can play in the paint." The Grizzlies outrebounded the Suns 59-40 and were more physical throughout the game. Channing Frye scored eight of his 14 points in the game in the third quarter. NOTES: Suns guard Eric Bledsoe was a late scratch from the starting lineup due to a right knee sprain, and didnt play. Gerald Green started at the two-guard in Bledsoes place. Hornacek said Bledsoe, who was injured during the Suns game against the Clippers on Monday, is questionable for the Suns game Sunday against Milwaukee. . Hornacek was named the NBAs Western Conference Coach of the Month for December. He led Phoenix to a 10-3 record during the month. Hornacek is the third person in NBA history to win both Coach of the Month and Player of the Month, and the first to do so with the same franchise. ' ' '