Balanced deal
Seven players score in double digits as Magic catch fire, pull away for win
Nikola Vucevic scored a game-high 25 points to lead seven players in double figures as the Orlando Magic pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-97 on Wednesday night at Amway Center.
Aaron Gordon finished with 18 points, Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross each scored 13, D.J. Augustin and Jonathan Isaac each had 12 and Michael CarterWilliams added 11 for the Magic (4-7), who improved to 4-3 at home this season.
Vucevic also had 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
Magic guard Markelle Fultz, who was starting a regular-season game against his former team for the first time, finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 21 minutes.
Jason Richardson scored 19 points and Montverde Academy alum Ben Simmons had 18 for the 76ers (7-4), who played without All-Star Joel Embiid. He sat out the second portion of back-toback games due to a sore left knee.
The Magic used a 16-3 run over a 5-minute, 58-second stretch that bridged the third and fourth quarters to gain control.
Ross and Fournier delivered 3-pointers — each following a 76ers turnover — to extend the Magic lead to 92-85. From there, the 76ers struggled to make shots as the Magic slowly added to their
lead. The advantage reached 102-89 with 3:12 to play after Vucevic scored off a pick-and-roll assist from Gordon.
The 76ers committed seven turnovers and shot just 31.6% from the field (6 of 19) in the fourth quarter as the Magic outscored them 32-15.
Orlando reached the 100-point mark for the fourth consecutive game and outscored Philadelphia 26-9 from the free-throw line.
The Magic started 8 of 10 from the field and ran out to a 20-12 lead when Fournier beat Tobias Harris to the basket for layup.
But the Magic couldn’t keep the 76ers out of the lane.
Early in the second quarter, the Magic had outscored the 76ers 15-3 from the 3-point line and 6-1 from the free-throw line, but Orlando was outscored 30-16 among points in the paint.
The 76ers were 20 of 33 on twopoint attempts in the first half and wound up with a 36-20 scoring advantage on points in the paint.
The Magic return to action Friday when they host the San Antonio Spurs at Amway Center. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will air on Fox Sports Florida.