NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks overpower Magic

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and a season-high 20 rebounds, Bobby Portis added a season-high 24 points with the help of six 3-pointers, and the host Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Orlando Magic 117-108 on Saturday.

Antetokounmpo went 15-for-23 at the free-throw line, while Portis also had 15 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. The Bucks won their third game in a row for the first time this season.

Orlando put together a 30-8 fourth-quarter run, closing within 107-101 on R.J. Hampton's steal and layup with 2:05 left. But Antetokounmpo's dunk with one minute to go helped the Bucks get some breathing room, 111-101.

The Magic outscored Milwaukee 37-21 in the fourth quarter behind the play of their reserves, as Hampton scored 13 of his 19 points. He also finished with nine assists.

Milwaukee's three wins have come to start a five-game homestand, which continues with another matchup against Orlando on Monday night. The Bucks also completed a back-to-back sweep that included Friday's 96-89 win over Oklahoma City.

Orlando dropped a back-to-back set that began with Friday's 115-113 loss to the host Brooklyn Nets.

Cole Anthony, Orlando's leading scorer at 19.6 points per game, did not play Saturday due to a sprained right ankle after he had 16 points and nine assists against Brooklyn.

Milwaukee made 12 3-pointers in the first half and finished 19-for-40 (47.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Seven Bucks players made triples, paced by Portis' season-best 6-for-7 performance.

Grayson Allen scored 16 points, including making four treys. Khris Middleton added 13 points and eight assists, one night after becoming Milwaukee's all-time leader for made 3-pointers, and Jrue Holiday and Pat Connaughton each scored 11 points.

Jalen Suggs posted 14 points, six rebounds and four assists for Orlando, which finished 19-for-51 from 3-point range, and Chuma Okeke contributed 13 points off the bench on 6-for-11 shooting.

Connaughton and Allen each scored five points during a 13-0 run that gave the Bucks a 29-14 lead with 3:22 remaining in the first quarter. Milwaukee led by as many as 17 points early in the second quarter before Orlando narrowed the gap to 62-50 by halftime.

But the Bucks opened the second half with another 13-0 run, as Middleton hit a step-back jumper at the 8:05 mark for a 75-50 advantage.

The lead grew to 86-59 when Antetokounmpo spun into the lane and threw down a two-handed dunk. The Bucks outscored Orlando 34-21 in the third quarter for a 96-71 lead.

-reuters-

NBA: Cole Anthony's last-second trey carries Magic past Grizzlies

Rookie Cole Anthony swished a deep 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to cap his season-best 26 points and provide the Orlando Magic with a 112-111 comeback victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

Anthony's dramatic shot over Memphis' Kyle Anderson was the finishing touch as the Magic overcame a 20-point deficit to split the back-to-back with the Grizzlies.

Moritz Wagner scored a season-high 24 points and Dwayne Bacon added 23 as Orlando (20-44) won for just the third time in the past 16 games. Rookie R.J. Hampton tallied a season-high 18 points to help the Magic snap a nine-game home losing streak.

Dillon Brooks scored 23 points for Memphis, and he knocked down an 18-footer with seven seconds left to give the Grizzlies (32-31) a 111-109 lead.

Ja Morant recorded 22 points and seven assists, Anderson scored 21 points, and Jonas Valanciunas had 11 points and 16 rebounds for Memphis.

The Grizzlies beat the Magic 92-75 on Friday night in Memphis.

Orlando trailed by 20 midway through the third quarter but caught the Grizzlies at 109 with 1:16 left after Hampton and Wagner drained 3-pointers. Brooks' go-ahead shot didn't give Memphis a reprieve as the rookie Anthony made his fourth 3-pointer to win it.

Memphis held a 55-37 rebounding edge and made 45.8 percent of its shots, including 10 of 29 from 3-point range.

The Magic connected on 44.7 percent of their shots and were 11 of 25 from behind the arc. Anthony also contributed eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.

The Grizzlies led by 14 at halftime and continued to the stronger team for most of the third quarter.

Anderson connected on back-to-back 3-pointers and Valanciunas added a basket during an 8-0 surge as Memphis stretched its lead to 77-57 with 5:57 left in the quarter.

The Grizzlies still led by 17 after Jaren Jackson Jr.'s basket with 2:44 remaining before Orlando ripped off nine straight points to move within eight. Memphis led 85-76 entering the final stanza.

The Magic pulled within six early in the fourth quarter before Tyus Jones' 3-pointer and De'Anthony Melton's basket lifted the Grizzlies' lead to 91-80 with 9:09 to play.

Xavier Tillman's basket gave Memphis a 102-95 advantage with 4:48 left, before Orlando controlled play down the stretch.

Brooks scored 14 first-half points as Memphis took a 60-46 lead at the break.

-reuters-

NBA: Jimmy Butler carries Heat past Magic

Jimmy Butler had 29 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals, leading the Miami Heat to a 102-97 win over the host Orlando Magic on Sunday night.

The game came down to this: Orlando trailed 100-97 with 22 seconds left. After a timeout, Orlando missed twice before Butler came up with a steal and a layup to put the game away as Miami continued its run as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, going 10-1 since Feb. 18.

Orlando, which has lost eight straight games, was led by Nikola Vucevic, who had 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He made 15-of-27 shots from the floor, including 6-of-13 on 3-pointers.

The Magic's Terrence Ross, who had missed the two previous games due to a bruised knee, had a season-high 31 points. He made 10-of-19 shots from the floor, including 8-of-13 on 3-pointers.

It was the first time in three years that the Magic has had two 30-point scorers in the same game. Still, Orlando's losing streak is the franchise's longest since the 2017-2018 season. It's also the longest active skid in the Eastern Conference.

Miami also got 22 points from Tyler Herro and 18 from Kelly Olynyk as the Heat won its fourth straight game without 2020 All-Star center Bam Adebayo (knee injury).

Early on, Miami led by as many as 12 points. But Orlando closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run, leaving the Heat with a 22-19 lead. Both teams made less than 38 percent of their field goals in the quarter, although at least Olynyk was hot with 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers.

In the second quarter, Orlando cut its deficit to one point on three occasions but never grabbed the lead as Miami took a 48-45 advantage into halftime.

Vucevic led all first-half scorers with 17 points. And while both teams shot less than 41 percent from the field in the first 24 minutes, Miami had a 24-12 edge in paint points.

Orlando took its first lead of the game on Michael Carter-Williams' layup with 10:28 left in the third. Vucevic had 17 points in the third quarter, and Orlando held a 77-73 lead going into the fourth.

For the game, Miami outscored Orlando 44-24 in the paint, and that was the difference on a night in which neither team shot better than 44 percent from the floor.

-reuters-

NBA: Walker's 37 lead Celtics past Magic

Kemba Walker scored 37 points, Gordon Hayward added 22 and the short-handed Boston Celtics surged past the host Orlando Magic 109-98 on Friday night.

Hayward also had 14 rebounds, and Daniel Theis chipped in 16 points as the Celtics won their third straight.

Boston played without two of its three top scorers in Jayson Tatum (right groin strain) and Jaylen Brown (right ankle sprain), and key reserve Enes Kanter also was out with a right hip contusion.

Evan Fournier had a team-high 30 points, Nikola Vucevic added 17 and 12 rebounds and Aaron Gordon scored 12 for the Magic, who lost for the fourth time in their last five.

The Celtics went down by 16 early in the second quarter but were within four at the break thanks to 19 points in the quarter and 27 in the half from Walker.

Boston went up 70-69 on a Theis bucket with 4:07 left for its first lead since 5:42 of the first and ended the third quarter on an 18-8 stretch to take an 82-77 advantage into the fourth.

Walker was at it again in the final quarter, hitting a pair of 3s and two free throws to reach 35 points as the Celtics grew their lead to 14 with 8:46 remaining.

A pair of Fournier treys helped the Magic stay within six with three minutes to go, but a Theis dunk and Marcus Smart basket gave Boston a 9-point edge with 1:11 left.

The Magic used a 23-6 run to grab their first 10-point lead, 30-20, with 2:01 left in the first. Orlando ended the period up 30-24.

The Magic took their largest lead (46-30) of the half with 7:45 to go in the second, but Walker scored 13 straight points for the Celtics as they got within 54-43.

Treys from Grant Williams and Hayward in the final minute had Boston trailing 57-53 at intermission.

Fournier paced Orlando with 15 first-half points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Mitchell, Bogdanovic come up big for Jazz in win over Magic

Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 30 points apiece to lead the Utah Jazz to a 109-102 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.

Joe Ingles added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Rudy Gobert recorded 12 points and 19 boards as Utah beat Orlando for the 14th time in the past 18 meetings. Royce O'Neale added 11 points for the Jazz, who have won three straight games and four of the past five.

D.J. Augustin scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Evan Fournier added 19 points for the Magic, who have lost four of their past five games. Markelle Fultz tallied 14 points, Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Michael Carter-Williams scored 10 points.

The Jazz shot 46.7 percent from the field, including 15 of 36 from 3-point range with Bogdanovic making six. Utah committed 14 turnovers but held a 58-41 rebounding edge.

Orlando connected on 45.2 percent from the field but was a porous 7 of 35 from behind the arc. The Magic committed just three turnovers.

The Jazz trailed by six with under four minutes left before rattling off nine straight points. Bogdanovic scored seven of the points as Utah took a 101-98 lead with 1:53 remaining.

Fournier knocked down a jumper eight seconds later to get Orlando within one before Mitchell made back-to-back shots to give the Jazz a 105-100 lead with 29.1 seconds to play.

Ingles made two free throws with 20.2 seconds left to increase the lead to seven and the Jazz closed it out.

Earlier, Utah connected on four 3-pointers during a 14-2 dash to open up a 74-56 advantage with 5:10 left in the third quarter.

The Jazz led, 82-65, before Orlando scored the final six points of the third quarter and the first six of the fourth to pull within 82-77 with 10:28 remaining.

The Magic later ran off 15 consecutive points to take a seven-point lead with 4:44 remaining.

Orlando moved ahead, 91-90, on a 3-pointer by Vucevic with 6:27 left. Augustin added two baskets and Vucevic finished the run with a layup to give the Magic a 97-90 lead.

Mitchell and Bogdanovic scored 13 points apiece as the Jazz held a 58-47 lead at the break.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Harden scores 54 as Rockets breeze past Magic, 130-107

James Harden delivered another exceptional scoring performance and the Houston Rockets swept a brief two-game swing against Eastern Conference opponents, cruising past the Orlando Magic 130-107 on Friday in Orlando.

Two nights after pairing 55 points with eight assists in Cleveland against the Cavaliers, Harden posted 54 points and seven assists to subdue the Magic, who've dropped three straight games.

Harden drilled a franchise record 10 3-pointers to lead Houston past the Cavaliers. He finished 10-for-15 from behind the arc against Orlando en route to his fifth 50-point game of the season.

Spectacular throughout, Harden produced one sequence that served as a microcosm of his night.

With the third quarter winding down, Harden blocked a shot attempt by Magic guard Michael Carter-Williams, snagged the rebound and darted up court before hitting a floater that beat the buzzer and extended the Houston lead to 96-78 entering the fourth quarter.

Harden had 38 points entering the final period, in which he posted 16 points to lead the charge.

Russell Westbrook chipped in 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Ben McLemore shot 6 of 7 on 3s for 18 points off the bench. P.J. Tucker (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Clint Capela (10 points, 11 rebounds) posted double-doubles for Houston, which hit 22 of 39 3s.

Orlando's Evan Fournier scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half, including 14 in the second quarter off four 3s. Aaron Gordon had 21 points and six rebounds while Terrence Ross added 13 points.

Harden and Fournier engaged in an entertaining scoring duel in the second quarter, with Harden scoring 18 points in that period to provide Houston a working margin entering the intermission.

Both teams shot exceptionally from deep prior to the break, with the Rockets connecting on 11 of 19 3s while Orlando went 9 of 21 from long range. But with Jonathan Isaac saddled with three fouls by the 7:04 mark of the second period, the defensive-minded Magic were left prone.

Harden punished Orlando repeatedly both inside and out, and after opting not to double team Harden in the first half, the Magic sheepishly attempted to do so to no avail in the second half.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: George, Westbrook rally Thunder past Magic

Paul George scored 39 points, and Russell Westbrook's triple-double streak continued as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic 132-122 at home Tuesday night.

The Thunder took control of the game with a 36-point third quarter, then held on late to win for the eighth time in the last nine games.

Orlando's two-game winning streak was snapped, and the Magic have lost eight of their last 11 games.

Orlando led by 12 early in the third quarter, but from there the Thunder outscored the Magic 31-13 over the final nine minutes of the quarter and led 111-97 three minutes into the fourth.

The Magic didn't go away quietly, though, cutting the lead to as little as five with less than five minutes remaining, but couldn't get any closer.

Westbrook finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists, clinching his seventh consecutive triple-double by the end of the third quarter.

It's the third such streak in Westbrook's career. Only Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan have had at least seven consecutive triple-doubles. 

Robertson holds the NBA record with nine consecutive triple-doubles.

It was the sixth time in the last seven games that George has scored 36 or more points. Oklahoma City had seven players score in double figures for the second time this season.

Backup point guard Dennis Schroder had 20 points while Jerami Grant had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

The Thunder shot 50 percent (46 of 92) from the floor and hit 13 3-pointers, including six from George.

Terrence Ross had 26 points off the bench to lead Orlando while Evan Fournier added 25. Aaron Gordon had 18 points and 10 assists.

Before the game, the Magic announced rookie center Mohamed Bamba would miss significant time with a stress fracture in his left tibia. Bamba will not undergo surgery as the team hopes he'll respond to rest, treatment and rehabilitation.

Bamba did not travel with the team to Oklahoma City and missed his second consecutive game. He's averaging 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.36 blocks, fourth in the NBA among rookies.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Harden has 40 as Rockets rally to beat Magic

James Harden sank his first 3-pointer of the second half with 75 seconds left and the Houston Rockets closed out a 103-98 comeback win against the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday at Toyota Center.

Harden finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. It was his 23rd consecutive game with 30-plus points. He was 0 for 7 on second-half treys before his 3 snapped a 95-95 tie. Harden followed with a step-back 17-footer with 30.5 seconds left.

Houston outscored Orlando 29-16 in the fourth quarter to earn a split of the season series.

The Magic led by as many as 16 points and mustered a reply to every threat until the fourth.

Aaron Gordon (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (19 points, 17 rebounds) posted double-doubles for Orlando, which also got 18 points from Evan Fournier and 15 off the bench from Terrence Ross.

The Magic finished with a 56-39 rebounding edge, but shot just 40.2 percent and struggled from deep (10 of 35) and at the line (10 of 17).

Houston's Chris Paul had 12 points and six assists in his return from a 17-game absence with a hamstring injury. Kenneth Faried added a double-double (12 points, 10 boards) for the Rockets, who took their first lead at 93-92 on a P.J. Tucker transition layup with 4:13 remaining.

Vucevic bludgeoned the Rockets from the opening tip, pairing nine rebounds with 11 points in the opening quarter. The Magic closed the first period with a plus-9 advantage on the glass and recorded 16 points in the paint.

Harden played brilliantly during that same stretch but received little support, scoring 15 first-quarter points while his teammates shot a combined 1 for 12.

Orlando led 34-18 entering the second. Whenever the Rockets tried to rally, the Magic responded with more interior dominance. Harden completed a driving layup that cut the deficit to 46-42, only for Vucevic to score in the post before Fournier added a driving layup of his own.

One critical sequence worked against the Rockets late in the first half, with Faried whistled for offensive goaltending on a Harden shot that appeared set to fall and with Houston trailing by four.

Vucevic followed by converting through a Faried foul at the 2:43 mark. Vucevic missed the subsequent free throw, but Jonathan Isaac snared the offensive rebound and D.J. Augustin drilled a 3-pointer, completing a five-point possession that stretched the Orlando lead to 55-46.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Bogdanovic, Pacers cruise by Magic

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 points and the visiting Indiana Pacers cruised to an easy 112-90 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

Cory Joseph scored 15 points off the bench, and Thaddeus Young added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who have won back-to-back games after dropping two in a row last week.

The win was Indiana's eighth straight against Orlando and the 15th in the last 16 meetings.

Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon added 20 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando. The Magic have lost 4 of their last 6 games.

Indiana took an early lead when it scored 12 straight in the first quarter and never trailed in the game again.

Orlando trimmed the deficit to 63-59 early in the third quarter, but the Pacers responded with a 15-2 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Tyreke Evans. Indiana led 86-70 after 3 quarters and led by as much as 27 in the fourth.

Bogdanovic had 21 points in the first half to lead the Pacers to a 57-45 lead at halftime. Bogdanovic scored eight during the 12-0 Pacers' run in the first quarter.

Orlando received a scare in the first quarter when Vucevic sprained his right ankle, coming down on the foot of Myles Turner with 2:44 left. 

X-rays came back negative, and Vucevic returned to the game in second quarter with tape on the ankle.

Indiana played without two of its top scorers. Domantas Sabonis wasn't fit to play after suffering from food poisoning, and Victor Oladipo missed his ninth straight game with a knee injury. 

Kyle O'Quinn recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds filling in for Sabonis.

The Pacers are 5-4 without Oladipo, who leads the team with 21.4 points per game. He did participate in an optional shootaround early Friday, but there is no timetable for a return.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Durant scores 49 as Warriors overtake Magic

Kevin Durant scored eight of his 49 points in the final 1:19 Monday night, rallying the Golden State Warriors to a 116-110 victory over the Orlando Magic in Oakland, Calif.

Durant connected on 16 of his 33 shots, four of his 10 3-point attempts and all 13 of his free throws en route to the fifth-highest scoring game of his career. The 49 points were his high since he poured in 51 for Oklahoma City at Toronto in March 2014.

The Warriors trailed by as many as 18 points before chipping away in the third and fourth quarters, finally taking a 102-100 lead on a 3-pointer by Klay Thompson with 5:26 to go.

After Orlando gathered itself to go back up by three, another 3-pointer by Thompson drew the Warriors even at 107-all with 1:45 left before Durant took over.

He put the Warriors up by three with a three-point play with 1:19 to go, then boosted the lead to four with a 3-pointer after Terrence Ross had pulled the Magic back within 110-109 on a dunk with 1:11 left.

Durant completed his game-ending flurry with a pair of clinching free throws, delivering Golden State its third win in four days after they lost four in a row.

Thompson backed Durant with 29 points, as Golden State's two healthy All-Stars combined for 78 points while their teammates combined for 38.

Nikola Vucevic had 30 points and Ross 28 for the Magic, who had won in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

Vucevic completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Jonathan Isaac (15) an Mo Bamba (11) also scored in double figures for Orlando, which lost its 11th straight to Golden State.

The Magic led 39-36 in the fifth minute of the second quarter before exploding into an 18-point lead on the strength of a 19-4 burst. Ross had a four-point play and another 3-pointer to cap the run.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Raptors edge Magic on Green's buzzer-beater

Danny Green hit a 6-foot jump shot at the buzzer to give the visiting Toronto Raptors a 93-91 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

The winning shot off a pass from Kyle Lowry came after Evan Fournier tied the game for Orland on a dunk with 2.3 seconds to play.

Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 18 points, Pascal Siakam had 15 points and nine rebounds, Serge Ibaka had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Green scored 13.

Fournier led Orlando with 27 points, Aaron Gordon had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 17 rebounds.

The Magic, who trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half, had a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Orlando opened the final period going 1-for-11 from the field, but Toronto led by only one with five minutes remaining.

Fournier's floating jumper with 3:25 left tied the game at 85.

The Raptors led by four, only to have Orlando tie it at 89. Ibaka's 17-footer gave Toronto the lead again with 43.5 seconds to play, but Fournier tied the game on a 3-footer.

The Raptors used a 14-4 run to take a 22-11 lead on Lowry's 3-pointer with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Lorenzo Brown hit a 3-pointer to complete the first-quarter scoring and give the Raptors a 29-17 lead.

The lead reached 18 with 6:43 left in the first half on Leonard's 18-foot jump shot.

The Magic answered with a 10-0 run capped by Vucevic's 21-footer to trim the lead to eight with 3:16 left. Green's 14-foot turnaround jumper gave Toronto a 47-37 halftime lead.

Fournier opened the second half with a 3-pointer, and when he made his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 7:38 to play in the third quarter, Toronto's lead was down to one.

The Magic took its first lead of the game, 61-59, on Gordon's 7-footer with 5:27 to play in the third.

Each team had a turn leading by three points before the third quarter ended with Orlando leading 75-73.

Delon Wright opened the fourth quarter with a driving layup to tie the game.

After Gordon put Orlando back into a two-point lead with 10:44 to play, neither team scored until Green's 3-pointer with 7:14 to play put Toronto ahead. Jonas Valanciunas' layup increased the margin to three.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Bucks rout Magic for season-opening 6th straight win

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds in just 19 minutes as the Milwaukee Bucks remained undefeated with a 113-91 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

Milwaukee's 6-0 start is the team's best since the 1971-72 squad led by future Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson opened the season with seven straight wins the year after winning the franchise's only NBA championship.

The Bucks host the NBA's only other undefeated team, the Toronto Raptors (6-0), on Monday night.

Khris Middleton had 18 points and seven rebounds, Malcolm Brogdon scored 16 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 points off the bench for the Bucks, who shot 50 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Magic, 57-42. 

Ersan Ilyasova finished with 10 rebounds and six assists, both game highs.

Nikola Vucevic led Orlando, which shot just 32.7 percent from the floor, with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Milwaukee, playing its first back-to-back of the season and coming off a 125-95 blowout win at Minnesota, showed no signs of sluggishness, shooting 60 percent from the floor, blocking five shots and using a 10-5 run to close out the first quarter to take a 30-25 lead.

The Bucks, who lead the NBA with a 66.8 point first-half scoring average, stretched the lead to 14 after a steal and step-back jumper by Eric Bledsoe with 3:18 to go in the second quarter en route to a 65-51 halftime lead.

With Antetokounmpo in the locker room getting treated for a cut lip from an Aaron Gordon elbow to start the second half, Milwaukee still extended its lead to 18 points, 75-57, on a pair of Bledsoe free throws in the third quarter.

Orlando got as close as 15 points, 82-67, after a 3-pointer by Evan Fournier, but the Bucks broke the game open with an 11-0 run featuring a pair of alley-oop dunks by DiVincenzo and John Henson and a 3-pointer by Middleton to lead 93-68 after three quarters.

Antetokounmpo returned to score four points in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee's lead ballooned to 29 points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Bulls hang on against Magic for 105-101 win

Zach LaVine scored the go-ahead basket with 12.4 seconds to go, and the Chicago Bulls avoided a fourth-quarter collapse with a 105-101 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night at the United Center.

The score was tied at 101 when LaVine stole an inbounds pass from Jonathon Simmons and raced across halfcourt for a breakaway dunk. Magic guard Mario Hezonja missed a deep 3-point attempt on the next possession, and LaVine made a pair of free throws to seal the outcome.

Chicago led by 18 points with 8:23 remaining in the fourth quarter before Orlando stormed back with a 23-3 run to grab a 98-96 lead with 3:11 to go. Hezonja, who sparked the comeback bid with 14 points in the fourth quarter, finished with 24 points to lead the Magic.

Rookie forward Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points on 9-for-19 shooting to lead the Bulls. LaVine finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Forward Bobby Portis contributed 19 points off the bench.

Chicago earned its second win in the past three games. The Bulls improved to 13-15 on their home court, compared with 7-21 on the road.

Magic forward Evan Fournier finished with 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Fournier has scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games and 21 times overall this season.

Simmons added 14 points for Orlando, which has lost back-to-back games after winning the previous three.

Chicago opened up a 93-75 lead after Denzel Valentine sank a pair of free throws. Orlando stormed back behind the hot hand of Hezonja, who hit a jump shot and a pair of 3-pointers to give the Magic the lead.

The Bulls established a 53-51 advantage at the break. Markkanen led the team with 13 points in the first half.

Bulls guard Kris Dunn missed his 11th game in a row as he continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. Dunn has returned to practice and could be available Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.

The Magic played without Aaron Gordon (hip), Nikola Vucevic (hand), Jonathan Isaac (ankle) and Terrence Ross (knee). Gordon recently withdrew from the NBA's upcoming slam dunk contest because of his injury.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pacers rally back from 21-point deficit to beat Magic

Victor Oladipo scored 24 points and Lance Stephenson added a season-high 21 as the Indiana Pacers rallied for a 114-112 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Thaddeus Young added 20 points for the Pacers, who trailed by 21 in the first half. Stephenson had nine points in the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis chipped in with 17 points and team-high nine rebounds.

Trailing 106-96, the Pacers used a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to grab a 111-106 advantage with 2:22 to go. Oladipo's basket gave Indiana its first lead of the game at 107-106 with 3:30 left.

Orlando's Evan Fournier's layup cut the Pacers' lead to 113-112 with 22 seconds to go. Sabonis hit the second of two free throws to push the lead 114-112 with 20.5 seconds remaining.

Aaron Gordon was fouled with 7 seconds left and missed the first free throw. He missed the second on purpose, and Fournier got the rebound. Jonathon Simmons missed a 3-point shot with 2 seconds to go, and Oladipo got the rebound.

Gordon recorded highs for the Magic with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Fournier added 21 points.

The Magic shot 54.5 percent overall from the field, while the Pacers shot 54 percent. The Pacers swept the season series with the Magic.

The Magic led by as many as 21 before settling for a 70-53 halftime lead. Pacers guard Darren Collison sank a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Indiana cut the deficit to 78-71 with 7:23 left in third quarter. The Pacers couldn't get any closer in the third quarter, but trailed the Magic by just eight points (92-84) after three quarters.

Indiana trimmed Orlando's lead to five points early in the fourth quarter, then made the late run.

Orlando shot 60 percent in the first half, while Indiana made 45.7 percent.

Gordon converted a rare four-point play with 2 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Magic a 32-22 lead.

The Magic shot 59.1 percent in the opening quarter.

Indiana center Myles Turner entered the game with four-plus minutes left in the first quarter after missing the last nine games with a right elbow injury. Turner scored four points in 11 minutes.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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.

source: news.abs-cbn.com