Even with the Orlando Magic playing without sixth-man sensation Terrence Ross, they still pulled off the upset behind Nikola Vucevic’s and Evan Fournier’s big-time performances. For Vucevic, he complied his 29th Double-Double of the season, notching 27 points and 14 rebounds. Vucevic’s uncanny shooting proved vital in the win, too, going 11-19 from the field and 3-5 from three-point range. Vucevic wasn’t even the hero in Orlando’s upset, however, as Evan Fournier was. Fournier pitched in 21 points and made a decisive driving layup with 6.4 seconds left to gift the Magic the lead. From there, it was smooth sailing for the Magic, as Devin Booker missed a game-winning jumper as time expired. For Orlando, they notch their second big win over a title contender in a matter of five days, with the other over the East-leading Brooklyn Nets. For Phoenix, the loss snapped their current five-game winning streak.
Key Takeaways for the Magic
Besides Vucevic and Fournier, the Magic still had plenty of players with big performances in the upset win, with the biggest being from Rookie Chuma Okeke. Okeke had a career-high 17 points in the win, and shot perfect from the field (6-6) and three-point range (4-4). Funny enough, Okeke’s lone miss came on a free-throw attempt, showing how good of a game the former first-round pick had. Okeke wasn’t the only bright spot, however, as Dwayne Bacon pitched in 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists, along with posting the highest plus/minus in the game, at +21. It’s also worth noting that Aaron Gordon could’ve played his final game in a Magic uniform on Wednesday night. Gordon went for 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 34 minutes of action. Gordon has continued to prove his value to the 29 other teams ahead of the Trade Deadline.
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