Evan Fournier powers Magic past Nets in restart, 128-118
ORLANDO, Fla. — Evan Fournier scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic opened seeding play in the NBA season restart with an emphatic 128-118 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Nikola Vucevic finished with 22 points and keyed a second-quarter surge with some brilliant passing as the Magic (31-35) moved past the Nets (30-35) and into seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.
Jonathan Isaac posted 16 points, Khem Birch had 12, D.J. Augustin had 11 and Aaron Gordon had 10 for Orlando. Gordon also had 11 rebounds.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with 24 points and Caris LaVert had 17 points to lead the Nets.
Isaac and Markelle Fultz did not start but saw their playing time increase as coach Steve Clifford indicated they would. Isaac checked out after playing 16 minutes and 29 seconds, while Fultz posted eight points, six assists and a steal in nearly 19 minutes on the floor.
Both made their restart debuts during Monday’s scrimmage finale, with Isaac playing 7 minutes and Fultz playing just under 9 minutes. It was Isaac’s first game in nearly seven months as he was recovering from a knee injury.
The Magic were beginning to gain momentum before the season was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic and they came to the restart feeling like they are a playoff team.
After the first quarter, they played like one.
Fournier’s play, in particular, was indicative of the Magic’s overall offensive performance. He showed his versatility as he found ways to score from all points of the floor. Fournier hit 10 of 15 shots overall and was 3 of 6 from the 3-point line.
He scored 19 points between the second and third quarters when Orlando outscored Brooklyn 75-43.
Vucevic also helped spark the offense.
In one sequence, Vucevic delivered a touch pass to Fournier, who ran to open space along the baseline, rose up and buried an 18-foot jumper.
On an earlier possession, a solid screen by Vucevic freed up Gordon on a curl near the top of the key and Gordon repaid his teammate by knocking down an 18-foot jump shot.
The Magic shot 52.9% from the field and registered 31 assists.
Orlando set a season-high for first-quarter points with 36 but found itself down by three after Brooklyn posted its own season-high (39).
The Magic, who trailed by as many as eight points at one time in the first half, began to surge late in the second quarter as they built an 11-point halftime lead.
When Fournier sank a 3 at the 8:45 mark of the third quarter, it gave the Magic an 82-63 lead and capped a 24-8 run over a 6:26 stretch that covered the second and third quarters.
Orlando continued to push from there as its lead reached as many as 26 points in the third quarter. The Magic built a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Nets cut into the lead with a 16-0 run late. Clifford put his starting five back in to close out the win.
The Magic resume play Sunday when they face the Sacramento Kings at 6 p.m.
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