ORLANDO, Fla. — Aaron Gordon scored a career-high 38 points, Evan Fournier had 31 and the Orlando Magic hit a season-high 21 3-pointers as they beat the Brooklyn Nets, 121-113, Friday at Amway Center to snap a nine-game losing streak.
Nikola Vucevic added 22 points and 14 rebounds for his 28th double-double of the season as Orlando (14-27) won for the first time since Feb. 21.
Kyrie Irving finished with 43 points to lead the Nets (28-14), who had their six-game win streak ended. James Harden had 19 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Orlando played without starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams (non-COVID-19 illness) and shooting guard Terrence Ross (sore right knee), the team’s second-leading scorer and one of its best 3-point shooters.
But the Magic did just fine without Ross.
The Magic set season highs for 3-pointers in the first quarter (eight) and the first half (13), which also tied a franchise record for 3s in a half. They finished 21 of 40.
Still, as well as the Magic shot the ball, even a double-digit lead didn’t seem like enough — and it wasn’t. Orlando went up 93-76 with a 24-9 run over a 6:36 stretch of the third quarter behind 10 points from Vucevic.
The lead was 19 at 103-84 by quarter’s end.
Then the Nets went on a 16-3 run, and the Magic contributed by missing their first six shots.
A turnaround jumper by Vucevic at the 5:38 mark gave Orlando its first field goal of the quarter and extended its lead to 108-100.
The Nets could get no closer than six, and Gordon buried his seventh 3 to make it 117-108 to all but seal it.
The Magic next play Sunday as they face the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
