Magic slip past Suns, end four-game skid
PHOENIX -- A night after being embarrassed by 30 points against the Golden State Warriors, the Orlando Magic regrouped and made enough plays down the stretch to pay back the Phoenix Suns.
Evan Fournier scored 25 points and Nikola Vucevic had his 30th double-double of the season with 18 points and 17 rebounds as the Magic used a late 14-4 run to beat the Suns 109-103 on Friday night.
Orlando trailed by as many as 36 points in a 122-92 loss at the Warriors on Thursday, but as has been the case before this season they regrouped and rebounded with a win.
"It's too bad that it seems we have to have a bad loss to have a good game," Fournier said. "(The Golden State loss) hurts, you can't erase the past. But this makes you feel a little better."
Fournier also helped hold Phoenix's leading scorer, Devin Booker, to 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field.
Orlando coach Frank Vogel has seen Fournier's heroics before.
"Some of our big wins have been about Evan down the stretch, making plays," Vogel said.
Aaron Gordon added 17 points for Orlando, including a spectacular alley-oop, one-handed slam during the winning rally. Terrence Ross had 14 points and Elfrid Payton contributed 10 points and 11 assists as the Magic (25-45) ended a four-game losing streak.
TJ Warren had 26 points and Tyler Ulis added 19 points and eight assists for the Suns, who had beaten the Magic four straight times. Phoenix (22-47) missed 12 of 14 3-point attempts.
Marquese Chriss had 13 points and eight rebounds despite missing time to take four stitches to close a cut above his right eye.
The Suns sat Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight -- all are healthy -- but coach Earl Watson said Booker played 30 minutes through ankle and Achilles problems.
"He's playing injured," Watson said. "It just shows the heart he has and how he feels about his teammates. He knows we're down a lot of players already. He could barely move and that look just wasn't the same."
Booker said the reconfigured Suns are finding their way.
"We have such a young group, energy should never be a problem," he said. "But without vocal veterans like Tyson Chandler out there ... we have to find in our young group who is going to be that person."
The Suns took their final lead at 94-93 on a Ulis jumper with 6:25 left. Vucevic gave Orlando the lead back with a putback with 5:19 left and Gordon followed with his huge dunk off a Payton pass. Ross completed the decisive run with a 3-pointer to make it 107-98 with 2:05 left.
"I just got behind the defense and (Payton) lobbed it to me in the right spot," said Gordon, who rolled an ankle on the landing. "It was a good win. Nobody likes to lose by (30). It's a slap in the face to your pride, and we want to show we are a capable team and have talent."
The Magic scored 15 consecutive points late in the first quarter, turning a 14-13 deficit into a 28-14 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Fournier, who had 11 points in the quarter, capped the run. The Suns had nine turnovers in the first quarter, leading to 13 Orlando points.
Phoenix answered with an 18-4 run, with Ulis tying the score at 34 on a driving layup with 7:25 left in the half. Ulis had 14 points and six assists in the half, and Alan Williams added 12 points and five rebounds for Phoenix before the break.
Orlando immediately responded with a 12-2 run and regained a 12-point lead at 54-42 on a running layup by Payton with 3:36 left. Payton had eight points and nine assists in the half.
However, the Suns closed the half with a 16-6 spurt and pulled to within 60-58 at the break on Ulis' jumper with 4.5 seconds left.
"He's getting better and better," Watson said of Ulis. "He's learning in the NBA you can't come out and play the same game every game as a point guard."
NOTES: Suns G Leandro Barbosa missed the game because of illness. With Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight shut down for the season, that left rookie Tyler Ulis and veteran Ronnie Price at point guard for Phoenix. "We are still with our young guys for the rest of the season, so we need Tyler to play extended minutes," Suns coach Earl Watson said. "We think he is our backup point guard of the future. Sometimes that guy has to start." ... Suns F Derrick Jones Jr. was back after bruising his tailbone hitting the floor after a blocked shot against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. ... Watson played for Orlando coach Frank Vogel with the Indiana Pacers, and Watson said Vogel made him want to coach. "That's really neat to hear. It's flattering," Vogel said. "Earl was a good player for us and a good leader, and we knew he had all the coaching attributes. They are having a tough year, but he's going to do just fine."