Augustin, Vucevic help negate James
Magic coach Steve Clifford has praised D.J. Augustin for his unselfish play as a scoring point guard who runs the team as more of a distributor.
Augustin was right where Clifford needed him Saturday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. But the veteran point guard also showed he still has plenty of scoring ability left.
Augustin delivered a season-high 22 points to go along with seven assists and seemed to be in the middle of every key play as he helped lead the Magic to a 130-117 win over the Lakers at Amway Center.
Augustin got plenty of help from starting center Nikola Vucevic, who poured in a game-high 36 points, including 16 in the third quarter.
Evan Fournier finished with 15 points while Terrence Ross had 13 and Jonathon Simmons and Aaron Gordon had 12 apiece as the Magic (8-8) put six players in double figures and snapped the Lakers’ four-game winning streak. Orlando took control in the middle quarters when it outscored Los Angeles (8-7) by a combined 75-50 count.
The announced crowd of 19,249 — the seventh-largest in Magic franchise history — came to watch LeBron James with his new team.
James, who sat out the fourth quarter, finished with 22 points — nearly five below his season average — and seven assists, but Magic fans were treated to a clinic by Augustin and the Magic, whose 130 points are a season-high.
Augustin scored nine of the Magic’s final 18 points of the half and had a hand in another basket to help turn a four-point lead into a 62-53 advantage by the break.
After a Ross 3 made it 42-37, Augustin followed with back-to-back 3s to make it 50-42. He then started a 4-on-1 fast break — with James being the one — with a steal before dishing to Gordon for an emphatic slam dunk.
Vucevic later converted a tip-in before draining a 3-pointer with .9 seconds left in the half.