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Suns 109, Magic 93

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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PHOENIX — Guard Goran Dragic scored 18 points, and guard Gerald Green hit three 3-pointers during a 15-2 run to open the fourth quarter as the Phoenix Suns finally ran away from the Orlando Magic 109-93 Wednesday.

Green finished with 14 points, and forwards Markieff Morris and Channing Frye each added 12 points for the Suns. Phoenix collected 25 fast-break points to wear down the road-weary Magic.

Forward Tobias Harris Guard had a game-high 23 points and guard Arron Afflalo added 20 for Orlando, now an NBA worst 4-32 away from home this season. The Magic (19-50) lost 21 of its last 22 on the road, with the only win coming Feb. 26 against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers.

The Magic played without guard Jameer Nelson (knee), and they lost center Nikola Vucevic to an ejection with 2:32 left in the first quarter. Vucevic ended his night with eight points and three rebounds.

Orlando led 75-74 after two Harris free throws with 1:33 left in the third quarter, but forward Marcus Morris put the Suns up for good at 77-75 on a 3-pointer. The Suns (39-29) closed the quarter on an 8-1 run and carried the momentum over into the fourth.

Green hit back-to-back 3-pointers before Markieff Morris hit Marcus Morris for an alley-oop jam to make it 90-78 Phoenix. Dragic scored on a fast-break layup before Green hit this third 3-pointer. Markieff Morris capped the 23-3 run to give the Suns a commanding 97-78 lead with 7:46 left.

Vucevic picked up two technical fouls 1:15 apart in the opening quarter. He got the first arguing that a blocked shot by Frye was a foul. Then with 2:32 left in the period, he was called for an offensive foul charging into Frye, and tossed to ball at Frye while he was on the ground to earn the ejection.

Neither team led by more than six points in the first half. Orlando scored the first six points of the game, but the Suns answered with nine straight points.

Orlando led by as many as four in the second quarter, but the Suns used 3-pointers by guard Eric Bledsoe and Dragic on either side of a put-back dunk by center Miles Plumlee to turn a 42-38 deficit into a 48-44 lead.

The score was tied at 52 at halftime. The Suns scored the first seven points of the third but couldn’t put away the Magic until the end of the quarter.

NOTES: Magic G Jameer Nelson sat out due to a sore left knee aggravated in Orlando’s 103-89 road loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. G Victor Oladipo started in Nelson’s place, and he scored 14 points. … Phoenix’s 108-95 loss to the Nets in Brooklyn on Sunday was the sixth double-digit defeat of the season for the Suns, tied for the second fewest in the NBA this season. For the sixth consecutive time, Phoenix rebounded to win the next game. … Before Wednesday, G Eric Bledsoe averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in four games since returning from knee surgery. … The Magic fell to 8-16 all-time in Phoenix with losses in nine of the past 11 visits. … Orlando did not renew the 10-day contract of G/F Adonis Thomas. … Entering Wednesday, the Suns had a .262 improvement in win percentage over last season, the best in the NBA, just ahead of Portland (plus-.245) and Charlotte (plus-.229). … Suns F Markieff Morris has 47 double-digit scoring games off the bench this season, tying him with Utah’s Alec Burks for the league lead.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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