Magic 102, Bulls 89
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and rookie Mario Hezonja had a career-high 21 points, leading the Orlando Magic to a surprising easy 102-89 victory over the slumping Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
The Bulls (30-30) lost their fourth consecutive game. It was the 15th straight game in which they surrendered 100 points or more. They gave up 129 points to the Heat in Miami on Tuesday. They never seriously challenged the Magic in the second half.
The Magic (27-33) got 17 points and seven rebounds from Victor Oladipo. Aaron Gordon had 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Elfrid Payton had nine points and a game-high 12 assists.
Derrick Rose, who recently returned from a hamstring injury, led the Bulls with 16 points, but played only eight minutes in the second half and 25 minutes total. Pau Gasol had 12 points and five rebounds. Doug McDermott had 11 points.
Bulls reserve guard Aaron Brooks was ejected midway in the fourth quarter after two technical fouls for arguing with officials. He had seven points in 17 minutes.
The Magic led 84-67 going into the fourth. They led by as many as 20 points in the third after Hezonja and Oladipo hit back-to-back baskets. Vucevic had seven points in the third.
Orlando led 60-50 at halftime, grabbing a quick lead it never lost. It lled by as many as 15 points midway in the second period.
The Magic held a 30-21 rebound edge and made 6 of 12 shots from 3-point range. Hezonja and Oladipo each scored 12 before intermission. Gordon also had a good start with 11 points and nine rebounds.
NOTES: Magic F Evan Fournier missed his third consecutive game with a sore right wrist. He is expected to return Friday. ... The Bulls were without G Taj Gibson, who left Tuesday's game in Miami with a hamstring problem. It was the first game he missed this season. ... Both coaches before the game bemoaned their team's lack of defense recently. Magic coach Scott Skiles said defense is why the Magic have gone 9-21 after a 17-12 start. "The one glaring factor (in our slide) is that our defensive numbers have gone completely south. We need to get back to seriously stopping people," Skiles said. ... The Bulls also have been plagued by defensive woes all season, but they hit a low point Tuesday night in Miami when they allowed the Heat to shoot 67.5 percent from the field, the highest percentage in Bulls history. "We play harder defensively in our practices," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We seem to get deflated when adversity hits us."