Evan Fournier Seals Upset Win For Orlando

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.

Key Takeaways for the Suns

Even after having their five-game winning streak snapped, the Suns did have good play from their players, including Booker’s solid night. In 32 minutes of action, Booker finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, despite an awful shooting performance. Booker went just 9-21 from the field and 1-5 from three-point range, which is very usual for the dynamic scorer. Chris Paul seemed like himself, however, scoring 23 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in 32 minutes as well. Phoneix’s Free Agent acquisition Jae Crowder did provide much-needed three-point shooting off the bench, though, with 17 points and four 3-pointers. But Deandre Ayton seemed to struggle at times against Vucevic and Orlando’s solid defense, but still managed to finish the game with 21 points and nine rebounds for Phoenix.

Up Next for Orlando and Phoenix

Magic: Host Portland Trail Blazers (25-18, 6th in West) on Friday Night.

Suns:  Face the Raptors (18-26, 11th in East) on Friday Night.