Surging Magic sink slumping Knicks

The Orlando Magic rolled to their third consecutive victory Sunday night, never trailing in a 131-117 win over the New York Knicks.

Orlando saw its 18-point, first-quarter lead shrink to just one at halftime, but the Magic scored the first six points of the third and were able to hang on for the remainder of the game.

Six players scored in double figures for Orlando, led by Aaron Gordon's season-high 31. Nikola Vucevic narrowly missed out on a triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Evan Fournier added 19 points.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 32 points, and Trey Burke added 31 for the Knicks, who have lost five straight. Enes Kanter had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the second quarter alone and finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds for the game.

Orlando won for the seventh time in the past nine games after starting the season 2-6. The Magic are shooting 49.6 percent and averaging 114.2 points during the nine-game stretch.

Orlando shot just 41.4 percent and averaged 99.9 points through the first eight games of the season.

The Magic made their first 10 field-goal attempts Sunday and scored 25 points in the opening five minutes of the game to take an early 15-point lead.

By the end of the first quarter, Orlando had matched a franchise record for most points in an opening period with 44, and Gordon had scored 20.

New York outscored Orlando 35-23 in the second quarter, and Noah Vonleh's 3-pointer in the last minute cut the Magic's edge to 67-66 at the half.

Mario Hezonja, who was drafted No. 5 overall in 2015 by the Magic, did not play due to a coach's decision in his first return to Orlando.

The Magic have won five of their past six games against the Knicks.

Orlando hosts the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday before heading out west for a six-game road trip. New York returns home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

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Drummond, Pistons outmuscle Magic

The Detroit Pistons overcame two double-digit deficits to earn a 103-96 victory over the host Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

The result snapped a five-game losing streak for the Pistons, who had started the season 4-0 before the skid.

Andre Drummond finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, including 19 points and 12 rebounds before halftime, to lead Detroit. Blake Griffin scored 20 points, and Reggie Jackson added 15.

Detroit trailed 78-67 with 3:22 left in the third quarter, but the Pistons held Orlando to just one field goal over the next 10 minutes of the game and took a 92-84 lead. Orlando made a run, cutting the deficit to 94-93 with 2:52 remaining, but Detroit put the game away with seven consecutive points.

The Magic were unable to build on back-to-back wins against San Antonio and Cleveland. Evan Fournier, who hit a game-winning shot Monday night against the Cavaliers, scored 27 points Wednesday. 

D.J. Augustin added 16 points, and Aaron Gordon and Terrence Ross had 15 points apiece.

Detroit erased a 15-point deficit early in the game with a 24-4 run over first and second quarters and wound up with a 58-51 lead by halftime. However, a 14-1 run by the Magic in the third quarter gave Orlando its second double-digit lead of the game.

Orlando was on top 31-16 with 1:25 left in the first quarter, but the Pistons closed out the final minute with 10 consecutive points, capped off by Drummond's second 3-pointer of the season that banked in off the backboard at the buzzer.

Detroit continued the run, which ended with a Langston Galloway 3-pointer that give the Pistons a 40-35 lead.

The matchup was between two of the league's worst shooting teams. Detroit and Orlando came into the night 28th and 29th in field-goal percentage, though the Magic have improved on that category recently. 

Orlando is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor in its past three games including Wednesday night -- up from a 41.4 percent average through the first eight games.

Despite their similar shooting struggles, the Pistons were averaging 8.3 points per game more than the Magic.

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Fournier's last-second shot lifts Magic over Cavs

Evan Fournier nailed a tiebreaking jump shot at the buzzer to give the Orlando Magic an improbable 102-100 home win after the Cleveland Cavaliers turned the ball over twice in the final 20 seconds.

The Cavaliers had a three-point lead with 18.7 seconds left in the game, possession of the ball and the shot clock turned off, but Cedi Osman's bad pass was intercepted by D.J. Augustin, who was fouled and made both free throws.

Two seconds later, Kyle Korver turned the ball over, and Evan Fournier made 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game after he was fouled at the basket with 13 seconds to go.

Orlando made a defensive stop and got the ball back with 1.8 seconds left. Aaron Gordon inbounded the ball to Fournier, who made a shot fake and took one dribble before swishing in a 3-pointer as the clock ran out.

Fournier finished with 15 points, and Gordon had 23 points and nine rebounds as the Magic won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Cavaliers have now lost nine of their first 10 games to start the season, including each of the past three. George Hill led Cleveland with 22 points, and Tristan Thompson had 19 points and 16 rebounds.

Cleveland turned an 11-point deficit to start the third quarter into a nine-point advantage going into the fourth.

The Cavaliers began the second half with a 13-2 run capped off by an Osman 3-pointer that tied the game 60-60 with 7:55 left in the third. Four minutes later, George Hill drilled a trey to give the Cavs their first lead since the first minute of the game.

By the end of the third, Cleveland had outscored Orlando 32-12 in the period.

Orlando took the lead early and created a nice cushion when Terrence Ross hit two 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter.

That was as part of a 12-4 run to end the period, and the Magic added to their lead in the second quarter to gain a 58-47 halftime advantage.

The Cavaliers agreed to a contract with interim coach Larry Drew hours before the game. The deal is guaranteed for the rest of this season with a buyout option for the 2019-20 season.

Drew was 8-1 when he filled in for former coach Tyronn Lue last year and is now 1-3 since replacing Lue this year.

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Antetokounmpo, Middleton carry Bucks past Magic

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 19 of his 32 points in the second half and Khris Middleton finished with 21 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 111-104 victory over the Orlando Magic Saturday night at the Amway Center.

Antetokounmpo and Middleton combined to hit 22 of 37 shots from the floor as the Bucks' offense connected at a 52.4 percent clip and made 9 of 25 3-point attempts despite playing without center John Henson (hamstring) and forward Jabari Parker, who was held out of the second game of a back-to-back as he eases his way back after returning from ACL surgery.


Defensively, the Bucks held Orlando to 44.6 percent shooting and an 8-for-30 mark from distance.

Mario Hezonja led the Magic with 23 points while Evan Fournier finished with 20 and Shelvin Mack added 19 off the bench on 8-of-10 shooting.

Hezonja scored nine of Orlando's first 11 points and the Magic used 9-0 run late in the opening quarter to take a 29-22 lead. Antetokounmpo knocked down a jumper with 3.3 seconds left in the quarter but Milwaukee, which went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, went into the second down 29-24 to the Magic, who connected on five long-range attempts.

The Magic stretched their lead to nine in the second before Milwaukee responded, but Mack made all six of his shots in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Orlando held on to a 54-50 lead at halftime.

Milwaukee outscored Orlando 13-8 to open the second half and regained the lead when Middleton fed Antetokounmpo for a dunk with 8:04 left in the third.

A jumper from Middleton gave the Bucks a 100-93 lead with 3:04 left. Simmons and Fournier followed with buckets to get the Magic within three with 2:19 remaining, but a 9-3 run including five from Antetokounmpo put Milwaukee up nine and the Bucks held on for the victory.

Orlando had won three straight coming into the game while Milwaukee improved to 8-2 under Joe Prunty, who took over as head coach when Jason Kidd was fired on Jan. 22.

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Magic overcome 21-point deficit to rout Cavs, 116-98

Jonathon Simmons scored a career-high 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting, and the Orlando Magic overcame a 21-point, second-quarter deficit to record a 116-98 victory over the sinking Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

Evan Fournier added 19 points, as Orlando won for the third time in four games after enduring a 3-20 stretch. Bismack Biyombo had 11 points and eight rebounds while Mario Hezonja and Elfrid Payton tallied 10 points apiece as the Magic overcame the sixth-largest deficit in franchise history in terms of a winning outcome.

LeBron James had 25 points and 10 rebounds but couldn't prevent Cleveland from losing for the 13th time in the past 19 games. The Cavaliers were outscored 65-31 in the second half while shooting just 30.8 percent from the field to drop to 42.9 for the game.

Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue (illness) was helped to the locker room with 8:02 left in the second quarter and didn't return.

J.R. Smith scored 12 first-quarter points and Isaiah Thomas had 11, but neither played scored again. Tristan Thompson also had 12 points while Dwyane Wade had 11.

The Cavaliers scored nine final-quarter points on 3-of-18 shooting and had no answer defensively for Simmons.

"I didn't even know," Simmons said in a postgame television interview per establishing a career high. "My teammates found me and I was able to make plays."

Wade made a 3-pointer to tie the score at 92 with 10:59 left before the Magic rolled off the next 16 points. Shelvin Mack's floater ended the surge and made it 108-92 with 4:51 to play.

Cleveland led 75-59 after a 3-pointer by James with 9:46 left in the third quarter before Orlando soared back into the game.

The Magic erupted for a 19-2 burst, and Simmons finished the stretch with two free throws to give Orlando a 78-77 advantage with 5:33 to play.

Simmons hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Magic a 92-89 lead entering the final quarter.

The Cavaliers looked sharp offensively by making 15 of 22 from the field in the first quarter, as they took a 43-31 lead.

Smith was 4-of-4 from 3-point range, and James had 10 on 4-of-4 shooting.

Cleveland's lead reached 59-38 on James' layup with 5:48 left in the half before the attack started to slow. Orlando pulled within 12 late in the half before the Cavaliers took a 67-51 lead into the break.

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Thomas starts, scores 19 as Cavs hold off Magic

Isaiah Thomas returned to the starting lineup and scored 19 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Orlando Magic 131-127 on Saturday night in Orlando.

LeBron James finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. He also had six steals. Kevin Love had a big game with 27 points.

Cleveland (26-13) won for just the second time in six games and is in third place in the Eastern Conference behind Boston and Toronto.

Meanwhile, the Magic (12-28) have struggled all season and dropped 13 of their past 14 games. Orlando ranks 27th in the NBA, allowing 110.2 points per game and are 28th with a minus-5.7 point differential.


Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 30 points. Elfrid Payton scored 20 and Evan Fournier added 18.

Thomas hit a pair of jumpers and Cleveland took control by scoring the opening eight points of the third quarter to take a 75-64 lead. A 3-pointer by Love increased the margin to 80-71.

The Cavaliers continued to make shots, A jumper by James capped a 13-5 run and Cleveland led 90-76 with 5:50 left in the third quarter.

A jumper by JR Smith boosted the lead to 20. The Magic would not go quietly, however, and Gordon cut the lead to 109-99 early in the fourth quarter. Orlando chipped away and Payton hit a jumper that cut the Cavaliers' lead to 128-125 with 40 seconds left. However, Dwyane Wade (16 points) iced the game with a 3-foot shot.

Thomas has been eased back from a hip injury and scored 17 points in just under 19 minutes Tuesday' in a 127-110 victory over Portland. He did not play the following night in a 102-88 loss at Boston. Thomas played 21 minutes against the Magic and did not show any ill-effects from injury.

The Magic have sorely missed and have not been able to make key shots without forward Nikola Vucevic, who suffered a fractured left index finger in December.

Cleveland led 31-27 at the end of a wide-open first quarter. Thomas found a comfort zone and his pull-up jumper provided a 33-30 lead early in the second quarter. Orlando played tough and a 27-foot, 3-pointer by D.J. Augustin later tied the game, 45-45.

The Cavaliers shot 23 of 44 (52.3 percent) from the field and led 67-64 at the break.

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NBA: Warriors cruise past Magic

LOS ANGELES, United States – The NBA champion Golden State Warriors were firing on all cylinders Friday in a 133-112 victory over the Orlando Magic in Florida.

The banged-up Warriors, with Stephen Curry nursing a painful bruised finger, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson battling troublesome ankles and David West suffering from a sore left knee, nevertheless proved more than a match for the Magic.

Thompson scored 27 points, while Durant connected on 10 of his 14 shots en route to 25 points before he was ejected for yelling at a referee after his final basket.

Curry, again playing with his right ring finger bandaged, had 23 points and 10 assists as the Warriors seized control early and thwarted every Magic effort to rally.

Draymond Green added 12 points, 10 assists and three steals and Jordan Bell came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points with four rebounds and three blocks.

The Warriors connected on 62.5 percent of their shots from the field as they improved to 17-6. They made 12 of 24 three-point attempts -- their seventh straight game with at least 10 three-pointers.

Golden State led 78-63 at halftime -- their highest-scoring half this season. Their 46 assists were one shy of the franchise record.

Orlando never got the deficit under eight points in the second half.

A 12-0 run, with three straight baskets by Thompson, pushed the Warriors' lead to 10 points midway through the third quarter and they led 102-91 going into the fourth.

Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 29 points and seven rebounds. He made five of 11 three-pointers. Evan Fournier added 22 points and Jonathan Simmons chipped in 18, but the Magic fell to the Warriors for a 10th straight time.

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Cavs, Thunder clinch playoff spots, Warriors thump Mavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder clinched NBA playoff berths as reigning champions Golden State continued to roll toward the post-season with a win at Dallas.

In Orlando, Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and added five assists to lead the Cavaliers to a 109-103 victory over the Magic.

Irving, who had 33 points Wednesday in a victory over Dallas, scored 10 points in the decisive fourth quarter as the Cavs overcame a big night from Magic guard Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo scored a career-high 45 points, but only six in the fourth period.

Cleveland superstar LeBron James, back after resting one game, had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Cavs improved their East-leading record to 49-19.

They made their playoff spot official, but coach Tyronn Lue said there was no time to celebrate.
"We thought we were going to make the playoffs, so it wasn't really a big deal to clinch," Lue said. "We have bigger things ahead of us."

- Westbrook triple-double -

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant again led the way for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Northwest Division clinched a playoff berth with a 111-97 victory over the lowly 76ers in Philadelphia.

Westbrook delivered his league-leading 13th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

"I come out and compete every night at a high level and try to keep my energy up for my teammates," Westbrook said. "I think it's fun to see where we're playing the right way. It's fun for our guys to see everybody happy playing the right way."

Durant added 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, scoring at least 20 points for the 54th straight game.

Enes Kanter scored 16 points and Steven Adams had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who improved to 47-22.

They are third in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.


- Warriors cruise past Mavs -

The Warriors improved to 62-6 with a 130-112 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Warriors avenged one of their six defeats this season -- a loss in Dallas on December 30 when reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry was sidelined with a minor injury.

This time Curry scored 31 points, Klay Thompson scored 39 and made 10 of 15 from three-point range as the Warriors warmed-up for their marquee matchup with the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday.

The showdown between the two best in the West, neither of whom has lost at home yet this season, will see the Warriors without Australian big man Andrew Bogut.

He departed at halftime with a left big toe injury.

Coach Steve Kerr said Bogut wouldn't play on Saturday and in a nod to the fatigue his players are feeling added: "If I had any guts, I'd sit everybody."

Curry, however, said the Warriors would be ready to go in San Antonio.

"We'll be fine," he told ESPN. "They're playing really well right now and we have an opportunity to go in, and it's going to be a tough test for us."

There was unwelcome injury news for the New Orleans Pelicans in their 117-112 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Pelicans, ravaged by injuries this season, saw star forward Anthony Davis depart with a left knee injury late in the first half, after scoring 10 points.

C.J. McCollum scored 30, including a go-ahead three-pointer with a minute left, and Damian Lillard added 33 to lift the Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 20 points in the first half but came under pressure from a Pelicans team that got 30 points apiece from Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson.

Pelicans reserve center Kendrick Perkins was ejected with less than eight minutes to play for hooking his forearm around the neck of a driving Lillard, bringing him to the ground in a "clothesline" foul.

"It was a cheap play, but it didn't feel as bad as it might have looked," Lillard said.
Agence France-Presse

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Magic hand Bulls fourth straight loss

The Chicago Bulls have fallen, and they can't seem to get up. And the playoffs are slipping away.

The Bulls lost badly for the second consecutive night, 102-89 to the Orlando Magic, and never seriously challenged after a woeful start in another poor defensive performance.

Chicago (30-30) lost its fourth consecutive game and their seventh straight on the road. If the playoffs started today, the Bulls would be home watching for the first time in eight seasons.

"This is foreign territory for me," said Bulls guard Derrick Rose, who led the Bulls with 16 points and six assists. "There are no excuses. It's all about the goals of the team. We said in preseason we wanted to be in the playoffs, but the question is now, are we trying to do that. I'm trying to figure that out. If we are, we have to start playing differently."


Rose, who recently returned from a hamstring injury, played only eight minutes in the second half and failed to score. They never seriously challenged without him.

"It's frustrating, and things don't look too good right now," said center Pau Gasol, who had 12 points and five rebounds. "Teams smell blood with us, and they just go for it. We have to step it up."

The Bulls were without starting forward Taj Gibson, who missed his first game of the season with a sore hamstring sustained Tuesday in a lopsided loss in Miami. They also have been playing without center Joakim Noah (left shoulder strain) and guard Jimmy Butler (left knee).

"We've got a hodge-podge group of guys out there now," said forward Mike Dunleavy, who had eight points and six rebounds. "There are a lot of holes everywhere. The team is struggling, but we have to hang in there."

The Magic (27-33) led from start to finish in a surprisingly easy victory.

Center Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and seven rebounds. Rookie Mario Hezonja had a career-high 21 points and hit three of his seven 3-point attempts.

The Magic got 17 points and seven rebounds from Victor Oladipo. Aaron Gordon had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Elfrid Payton had nine points and 12 assists.

"I think overall, it was a step forward for us," Magic coach Scott Skiles said. "I think our overall energy was good. We had a much more aware game."

For the Bulls, it was the 15th straight game in which they surrendered 100 points or more. They gave up 129 points to the Heat in Miami on Tuesday.

Forward Doug McDermott had 11 points for the Bulls on Wednesday, but it was another frustrating night all around. Bulls reserve guard Aaron Brooks was ejected midway in the fourth quarter after two technical fouls for arguing with officials. He had seven points in 17 minutes.

"We've got 22 games left to figure it out," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "I would hope the pride would kick in. It's frustrating, another slow start. You dig yourself a hole, and again the same thing. We need to come out with a better defensive mentality. That's the only way we can do it."

The Magic led 84-67 going into the fourth. They led by as many as 20 points in the third as Vucevic had seven points in the period.

Orlando led 60-50 at halftime, grabbing a quick lead it never lost. It led by as many as 15 points midway in the second period.

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Wade weighs in to lead Heat past Magic

Dwyane Wade had 24 points, including 12 in the final five minutes, to lead the Miami Heat to a 108-101 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

Forward Chris Bosh, who had 30 points in an overtime victory against New Orleans on Friday, also had 24 points along with 10 rebounds. Goran Dragic added 22 points.

The Magic (17-13) were led by center Nikola Vucevic, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Point guard Elfrid Payton had 16 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.


Heat reserve Gerald Green had 15 points, making a pair of three-pointers during the fourth-quarter rally. Wade hit the jumper for a 91-89 lead the Heat retained into the final buzzer.

Tobias Harris had 13 points and six rebounds for the Magic. Evan Fournier had 12 points and seven assists.

The Magic were hurt by poor free-throw shooting (6-of-13), while the Heat made 22-of-23 free throws.

The Heat took their first lead, 82-81, since early in the game on a three-pointer by Gerald Green with 8:32 remaining.

Bosh had scored seven points earlier in the fourth quarter. Green hit another three-pointer for the 87-85 lead.

After trailing almost the entire first half -- and down by 12 at intermission -- the Heat used an 11-0 run early in the third period to pull within 66-64. Bosh scored six points in the run.

Victor Oladipo hit a three-pointer just before the third period ended for a 76-69 Magic lead.

Fournier scored the last five points before intermission, giving the Magic 56-44 lead. He had 12 points and hit a pair of three-pointers before halftime. Vucevic had 10 points and eight rebounds in the first two periods.

Dragic had 12 point and four rebounds in the first half but the Heat made only 15-of-39 shots (38.5 percent). The Magic hit 23-of-44 shots (52.3 percent) and made 6-of-12 from three-point range to control the game early.

Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who leads the NBA in blocked shots (4.0 per game), got two fouls in the first five minutes and struggled through the first half.

Whiteside, who also was averaging 12.6 points and 11.3 rebounds, had no points, two blocks and one rebound in 13 first-half minutes.

Magic rookie Mario Hezonja provided a spark with a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter. (Editing by John O'Brien)

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UFC: Werdum outpoints Browne to earn title shot

Brazilian fighter Fabricio Werdum out-fought Travis Browne over five rounds to become the top contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title Saturday at the Amway Center in Orlando (Sunday in Manila).

Werdum beat Browne with scores of 49-46, 50-45, and 50-45, in the process earning a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez later this year.

Browne opened the bout with a high kick to the head of Werdum but missed, and it was the Brazilian who proved to be the busier and more accurate fighter, landing a kick to the midsection as well as several punches to end the opening round.

Werdum also managed to take down Browne in the second round and attempted a submission. Although Browne managed to escape, he was clearly feeling the effects of Werdum’s attacks as well as the fast pace of the fight.

Despite Browne’s best efforts in the final three rounds, Werdum kept landing significant shots, causing Browne’s face to be a crimson mask by the time the bout ended.

In the co-main event, former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate defeated Liz Carmouche via unanimous decision to claim her first win in the UFC.

Tate improved to 14-5 after the judges scored the bout 29-28 across the board in her favor.

A takedown and a choke attempt in the final round proved to be the difference maker for Tate, who had lost her first two UFC contests.

Meanwhile, “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone won Submission of the Night honors after forcing Brazilian Edson Barboza to tap out via rear naked choke in the first round of their bout.

Barboza was landing the heavier blows on Cerrone when a brutal jab dropped the Brazilian to the canvas. “Cowboy” immediately took advantage, taking Barboza’s back and locking in a choke.

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