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Authentic Justin Bailey Jersey

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    The Washington Wizards went cold in the final quarter of their final game of the regular season – and it cost them.

     

    The Wizards shot 5 for 25 in the fourth quarter and 34 percent for the game Authentic Joe Pavelski Jersey , losing 101-92 to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night and finishing eighth in the Eastern Conference playoff seeding.

    ”We just couldn’t make any shots tonight. Nobody had a shot fall consistently other than Jodie (Meeks),” coach Scott Brooks said. ”The Magic made the plays when they wanted, when they needed to, and we didn’t. They played better than us tonight.”

    Meeks came off the bench with five 3-pointers to score a game-high 18 points for Washington, which lost five of its final six games. A win would have pulled the Wizards (43-39) up to seventh place and a first-round playoff series against Boston. Instead, they will play Toronto in the opening round.

    ”I was telling the guys in the locker room that we don’t condone any losses, but we throw this one out. We move on,” said Bradley Beal, who scored 13 points. ”We shot ourselves in the foot. We have done it all year.

    ”Now we are the eighth seed and we just have to go and compete.”

    Rodney Purvis scored 16 points to lead Orlando, while Mario Hezonja finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

    Arron Afflalo hit five of six shots in the second quarter in leading Orlando to a 55-45 halftime lead.

    Washington regained the lead early in the fourth quarter Aleksander Barkov Jersey , but a 3-pointer by Purvis put Orlando ahead to stay at 84-81. After a layup by Beal pulled the Wizards to within two at 86-84 with 4:34 left, they went more than three minutes without scoring while Orlando pulled ahead by 10.

    Brooks decided to rest guard John Wall, who had played 36 minutes in Tuesday night’s win over Boston.

    ”Let’s face it, any time you lose one of the best players in the league, it puts your team in a tough position,” Brooks said. ”We’re a different team with him, like any team would be. He’s dynamic, he’s explosive, gets easy points for all of us.”

    Easy points weren’t easy to come by Wednesday night.

    ”To see us take a playoff team that needed a win and hold them to 34 percent shooting, I’m very proud of that,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said.

    The Magic (25-25) played the second half without Aaron Gordon John Hayden Jersey , Nikola Vucevic, D.J. Augustin and Bismack Biyombo, who combined for 26 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.

    ”It doesn’t mean much, but it’s always better than losing,” Vucevic said.

    Magic forward Marreese Speights was ejected with 8:59 left in the third quarter after elbowing Marcin Gortat in the face while both were walking up the court. A double technical was called on the play.

    BATTLE-TESTED?

    Gortat said the Wizards are confident first-round underdogs. ”We have a team with a lot of veterans. We’ve been playing together a long time and we have been in big battles in the past,” he said. ”We need to play our game with a lot better effort than we did today.”

    TIP-INS

    Wizards: F Otto Porter did not play because of a lower right leg strain. Brooks said Porter’s playoff availability is undetermined. … Beal started all 82 games this season.

    Magic: With 13 3-pointers, a team record was set with 844 for the season, three more than in 2009-10. ”We’re just catching up with the rest of the league,” Vogel said. … Biyombo played in all 82 games and has missed only one game in the last three seasons.

    UP NEXT

    Wizards: First round of the playoffs against Toronto.

    Magic: End of season.

    After spending most of his first four seasons in Minnesota as a part-time back, Jerick McKinnon wanted to find a spot in free agency where he could show off his ability as a featured runner.

     

    San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan saw enough from his film over those years to decide he was the player they wanted to be their starting running back, giving him a four-year deal that will guarantee him nearly $12 million in 2018.

    "It was big for me Authentic Justin Bailey Jersey ," McKinnon said Thursday. "It was what I was hoping to have and looking for instead of staying in Minnesota and being in that third-down back role. I was looking for that opportunity. I'm glad this organization, this team, coach Shanahan felt strong enough about me and brought me in. I believe it's the perfect fit."

    The 49ers said they heavily targeted McKinnon and center Weston Richburg as players they wanted to acquire early in free agency. Richburg agreed to a five-year deal on Wednesday and both players were introduced at a news conference Thursday.

    McKinnon spent four years in Minnesota mostly as a backup after being drafted in the third round in 2014 after playing mostly quarterback in college at Georgia Southern. He has rushed for 1,918 yards with average of 4.0 yards per carry, has 142 catches for 984 yards, and has scored 12 touchdowns.

    McKinnon had his most productive season last year when he ran for a career-high 570 yards,, while setting personal bests with 51 catches for 421 yards.

    The addition of McKinnon replaces Carlos Hyde, who is leaving as a free agent for Cleveland. McKinnon has more speed and is a better receiving threat than Hyde and should fit well into Shanahan's offense.

    "He's good enough to make it as a runner alone in this league. He's good enough to make it in the pass game as just a third down threat alone, but when you can do both of those, it gives you a lot of freedom as a coach Brent Burns Jersey ," Shanahan said. "Based off of what downs you put him in and that when you do put him in, the defense doesn't know exactly what type of plays you're trying to run because he can do it all."

    Richburg spent the past four seasons with the New York Giants but played only four games last year because of a concussion. He began his career as a left guard before moving to center in 2015. He played there the past three seasons and is considered one of the top pass-blocking players at the position and has the athleticism to thrive in Shanahan's zone-running scheme.

    The Niners are hoping Richburg has a similar impact in San Francisco as Alex Mack had in Atlanta when he joined the Falcons when Shanahan was offensive coordinator there.

    "I've been around some real good ones in my career," Shanahan said. "He's put it all on tape and he looks right there with all those guys and that's why I value him a ton off the tape. Didn't know a ton about him until I turned on the tape and it was as good as I've seen."

    With Richburg in place, the Niners traded last year's starting center Daniel Kilgore to Miami in a deal that included a swap of seventh-round picks. The 49ers had signed Kilgore to a three-year extension last month but felt Richburg was the better option at center so worked to find a new spot for Kilgore.

    It's been a busy offseason already for San Francisco. The Niners signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year deal last month before he even hit free agency, signed cornerback Richard Sherman after he was cut by Seattle, re-signed defensive lineman Cassius Marsh and offensive lineman Garry Gilliam and gave an extension to receiver Marquise Goodwin.

    The team also signed defensive lineman Jeremiah Attaochu to a one-year deal Thursday to help bolster the pass rush and still could make a few more moves to upgrade a team that won its final five games last season after Garoppolo took over as starter to finish 6-10.

    "We feel like we've improved our team greatly and that excites us," general manager John Lynch said.

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