Magic ride hot start to victory
Fournier scores 31, Augustin adds 24 against Wizards.
WASHINGTON — The Orlando Magic enjoyed their most productive first half of the season on Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards.
A rough start to the third quarter almost wiped out that offensive performance.
Almost.
Evan Fournier finished with 31 points — his second straight 30-point game — and D.J. Augustin had a season-high 24 points as the Magic pulled away in the fourth quarter and posted a 127-120 victory over the Wizards at Capital One Arena.
Markelle Fultz finished with a career high 20 points and six assists, while Aaron Gordon had 18 points and Terrence Ross had 14 points for Orlando, which set a season high for points. Their previous high of 125 also came against the Wizards.
Fournier tied a season high with six 3-pointers, while Augustin made a season high four as the Magic matched a season high with 15.
The Magic (9-11) shot a season best 51.1% from the field as they improved to 2-0 against the Wizards (6-13) this season.
Washington had won at least three games against Orlando in five of the past six series between the teams.
Bradley Beal scored 42 points to lead the Wizards, while Davis Bertans added 21 and Isaiah Thomas had 20.
The game served as a homecoming for Fultz, who grew up in Baltimore, played at nearby DeMatha Catholic High School and rooted for Washington as a kid.
He responded with a solid offensive game, delivering a consistent mix of drives to the basket and jump shot. as he recorded his ninth straight double-digit scoring effort. His previous career high of 19 points came last month against the
Wizards.
It nearly came in a losing effort. The Magic watched the Wizards — behind three 3-pointers by Bertans — use a 17-5 run over 2:40 stretch of the third quarter to erase a 14-point halftime deficit and go up 77-74 on a 3-pointer by Beal.
The Magic weathered the burst and responded with a 15-6 run during a 4:24 stretch and building 89-81 lead on a 3-pointer by Jonathan Isaac.
Orlando stretched the lead to 104-88 after two Augustin free throws with 10:45 left to play.
Fournier scored 12 of his points in the second quarter as the Magic created some separation. His 3 from the corner capped a 10-2 run that produced a 68-50 lead with 1:22 left in the half.
It was part of a first-half offensive outburst by the Magic, who set a seasonhigh for first-half points (68), points in the second quarter (36), field goals (30), field goals in the first quarter (15), field goals in the second quarter (15) and first-half field-goal percentage (58.8%).