Magic 119, Grizzlies 107
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Center Nikola Vucevic, now in a reserve role, scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading the Orlando Magic to a 119-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night at the Amway Center.
The Grizzlies (41-36) lost their sixth consecutive game and 10th in their last 12 as they struggle to keep their playoff position in the Western Conference.
Magic guard Victor Oladipo had 22 points and seven rebounds. Evan Fournier had 22 points and made a trio of 3-pointers. Aaron Gordon had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Andrew Nicholson had 10 points and made three of his four 3-point attempts.
The Magic (33-44) are out of the playoff race, but they have won four of their last five games.
Matt Barnes led the Grizzlies with 24 points and hit five of his 10 3-point attempts. Zach Randolph had 15 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Vince Carter had 13 points, and Tony Allen had 10 points. JaMychal Green and Lance Stephenson each scored 11 points.
The Grizzlies never got closer than 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Nicholson hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway in the fourth to up the Magic's lead to 109-91, and those came immediately after a 3-pointer by teammate Brandon Jennings.
The Magic had taken a 97-85 lead into the final period. They led by as many as 20 points in the third period, but the Grizzlies cut the deficit to 12 when Barnes hit a trio of free throws to close the period.
The Magic led 67-56, at halftime, capitalizing on a hot-shooting start and another good performance from Vucevic. He had 17 points in 13 first-half minutes. Fournier and Oladipo each had 12 points by intermission. Elfrid Payton had nine assists in the first half.
Barnes had 12 points in the first quarter when he hit his first four 3-point shots, lifting the Grizzlies to a 17-16 lead. The Magic led by as many as eight points late in the first quarter.
The Magic closed the second period with a 9-2 run, which included a 3-point play by Payton and four points by Oladipo. They scored 38 points in the second.
NOTES: Memphis F Matt Barnes, who played for the Magic earlier in his career, made his first four 3-point shots in the first quarter Sunday, reminding the Magic what they once had. ... Memphis G Bryce Cotton, who was signed to a 10-day contract April 1, is expected to help the injury-riddled Grizzlies break one NBA record. When Cotton makes his Grizzlies debut, he will become the 28th different player to play for the team this season, the most in NBA history. The Grizzlies, with 27 players seeing action, tied a record that was set by the Dallas Mavericks during the 1996-97 season. The Grizzlies could become the first team to make the NBA playoffs with more than 24 different players on the roster during the regular season. ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic was used as a reserve Sunday for the third consecutive game, all since returning from a groin strain that sidelined him for 13 consecutive games. C Dewayne Dedmon has remained in the starting lineup for the Magic, which should help him this summer when he enters free agency. ... Magic G C.J. Watson missed the game with a sprained left ankle.