The Washington Wizards didn't need Michael Jordan to beat the Orlando Magic on Friday night. They could have done it with Michael Jackson.

Heck, they could have done it masquerading as the Washington Generals.

The Magic, without their two best players, hardly put up a whimper, bowing to Jordan and the Wizards 93-75 before an announced sellout crowd of 17,248 fans who left wondering why they didn't go to a Christmas party instead.

It was disappointing all around.

For the Magic, trying to score was like pulling an impacted wisdom tooth. For the fans who came to see Jordan's return to basketball, it wasn't much better. He made just three of 16 shots for 12 points and was reduced to a decoy role.

The Magic, who came into the game as the NBA's highest-scoring team, turned in their worst offensive performance of the season. They shot a season-low 33 percent from the field and scored 14 fewer points than they had in any other game.

When it ended, a plastic bottle of beer came flying out of the stands and landed at midcourt.

"I probably would have booed, too, after watching us shoot like that," said Magic reserve Pat Garrity. "We were frustrated, too."

After losing Grant Hill for the season (left ankle surgery) and Tracy McGrady (lower back) for the week, the Magic lost Mike Miller (lower back bruise) in the second half Friday.

"After we missed about 1,000 shots in a row, eventually you knew the dam was going to break," said Magic Coach Doc Rivers. "Both teams were struggling, but after they made the first one, it was over."

The Wizards turned a tie at 64 early in the fourth into a laugher when their shots started to fall and the Magic couldn't even hit the backboard. In one second-half stretch, the Magic made only five of 32 shots. They missed six shots -- all from long range and open -- on one fourth-quarter possession.

"We were picked by some to win the East. Now people are out there laughing at us," said the Magic's Monty Williams, who has moved into the starting lineup. "But that wasn't the first time I was booed. The only time I don't get booed is at home, and that's because my girls don't know any better. At times, it looked like we were shooting to the fans."

Without Hill and McGrady -- and with Patrick Ewing ineffective again -- the Magic had no post-up options in their offense, leaving them to shoot from the outside and run pick-and-roll plays. And nothing worked.

"We're going to have days like this," Rivers conceded. "But all you can do is ask the guys to play hard, and we did. We had effort, and you can't really boo good effort. We never gave up. We just didn't play well."

Miller led the Magic with 14 points, but he was ineffective in the second half when his lower back stiffened up. He left for Dallas with his teammates Friday night, but he is questionable for tonight's game against the Mavericks.

Darrell Armstrong had 13 points, but he made only four of 16 shots. Pat Garrity, one of the shooting stars in Wednesday's victory over Utah, made only two of 14 shots. Troy Hudson had 13 points and six assists. Ewing had 12 rebounds and eight points, but he made only four of 12 shots, all from close range.

The Wizards lost Richard Hamilton, who helped the team to seven straight wins entering Friday's game, early because of a groin injury. He collided with Miller on a drive to the basket, left the game and never returned. Hamilton had eight points in eight minutes after making four of his five shots.

Without him, Jordan struggled to carry to Wizards, making only two of 11 shots by halftime. He didn't improve in the second half, but some of his teammates did.

They went into intermission tied at 43. Armstrong hit a jumper over Popeye Jones with 2 seconds remaining at one end, but Hubert Davis managed a buzzer-beater at the other end to tie it.

The Wizards led by as many as seven points in the first half. The Magic never led by more than two. Miller had 12 points in the first half, but he struggled after being floored by Brendan Haywood on a drive to the basket.

Although Haywood was called for a flagrant foul, Rivers didn't believe it was a dirty play.