Gordon propels Magic past Nets
Player has a season-high 38 points to help Orlando repel Brooklyn comeback
Aaron Gordon scored a seasonbest 38 points, Evan Fournier added 31 and the Orlando Magic held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Brooklyn Nets to win 121-113 on Friday night.
The Magic overcame Kyrie Irving ’s season-best 43 points to end a nine-game losing streak and stop Brooklyn’s winning streak at six games. The Nets also had their franchise-record, eight-game road winning streak halted.
Orlando led 103-84 at the end of the third quarter, but the Nets opened the fourth with a 16-1 run. However, the Nets would get no closer than 104-100 after Gordon and Fournier revived the Magic offense.
Gordon tipped in an airball that gave Orlando a 114-105 lead and his 3-pointer seconds later sealed the victory.
Two nights after rallying from 16 points down in a win in Indiana, the Nets were trying to pull off their second-largest comeback in a win this season. However, the Nets couldn’t overcome an off night by superstar guard James Harden and an Orlando team that shot 51.2 percent from the floor and drilled a season-best 21 3-pointers.
Irving scored at least 40 points for a third time this season, but he had just seven in the fourth quarter. Harden snapped a streak of 14 straight games with at least 20 points when he finished with 19. He made only 4 of 16 shots and 2 of 9 3s.
Kings 107, Celtics 96: Richaun Holmes had 25 points, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals, and Sacramento held on to beat Boston and earn its first season sweep of the Celtics since 2007. De’aaron Fox scored 29 points, Buddy Hield had 22 and Harrison Barnes had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Sacramento, which has won consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 6-7. Jaylen Brown had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which lost for the fourth time in five games to again fall below .500.
Pistons 113, Rockets 100: Frank Jackson had a season-high 23 points and Detroit handed Houston its franchise-record 19th straight loss. Winless since Feb. 4, Houston struggled to find answers for Detroit’s ball movement and Jackson’s shooting. Jackson was 5-for-5 from 3-point range and 7-for-10 overall. Jerami Grant added 18 points, Josh Jackson had 15, and Isaiah Stewart 13. Detroit made 14 of 29 3s in winning consecutive games for the first time since mid-february.
Spurs 116, Cavaliers 110: Keldon Johnson scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray had 22 points as San Antonio held on for a wire-towire victory over Cleveland.
Warriors 116, Grizzlies 103: Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high 40 points, Jordan Poole added 25 while starting in place of injured Stephen Curry, and shorthanded Golden State beat Memphis in the
first of back-to-back meetings between the teams.
Jazz 115, Raptors 112: Donovan Mitchell scored eight of his 31 points in the final minute and a half to lead Utah.
Pacers 137, Heat 110: Malcolm Brogdon scored 27 points on 10-for-12 shooting and Indiana beat Miami.
Notes: P.J. Tucker is now a member of the Bucks, an addition for the team’s playoff push. Milwaukee announced Friday that they had acquired Tucker as well as guard Rodions Kurucs from the Houston Rockets and had sent guard D.J. Augustin plus forward D.J. Wilson to Houston. As part of the trade, the Bucks gave up their 2021 and 2023 first-round picks and got back their own 2022 first-round pick and the Rockets’ 2021 second-round selection . ... Wizards forward Davis Bertans is expected to miss about two weeks because of a strained right calf . ... Clippers star Paul George was fined $35,000 on Friday for saying conversations with referees are “just a bunch of lies” while questioning why more fouls weren’t called against Dallas in L.A.’S 105-89 loss to the Mavericks.