Denver Uses Second-Half Blitz to Hand Magic Third Straight Loss

Led by Nikola Jokic's triple-double, the Denver Nuggets ran away from the Orlando Magic in a 39-25 third quarter and cruised to a 113-100 victory. Orlando, now 23-21, has lost three consecutive games.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at Kia Center. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – On Friday, after two road losses by a combined 56 points, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero described his team as "beat up" and ready to head home.

But with three-time NBA most valuable player Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets making their only visit, the reprieve wouldn't come Sunday.

Down three starters and three reserves, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said postgame that his team played a "very good first half, toe-to-toe, regardless of the circumstances." But the Nuggets used a 39-25 third quarter to run away from the Magic in a 113-100 victory.

"I just feel like our second half didn't ... match our intensity, the focus, and just the attention to detail that we had in the first half," veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said.

"Ultimately, I think we ran out of a little bit of gas there in the third quarter," Mosley said.

The Magic are 23-21, now seventh in the Eastern Conference standings after a third consecutive loss. Orlando, which holds opponents to roughly 104 points on average, is now 5-14 in games when the opponent scores 105 or more points. In this three-game losing streak, they have allowed 122, 121 and 113 points.

"We're going to have a lot of film to watch, so we'll see what's going on on the defensive end," Anthony Black said. "That's not who we are the last three or four games, giving up 120s, 115s."

But how do the Magic avoid a further freefall?

"I think you zoom out in these circumstances," Mosley said. "Understanding where you are in [the] standings, where you are with what's going on with the team, helping them understand and get the right perspective. ... We're getting healthy bodies back soon. And so yes, it's three in a row and I'm not making excuses, nor am I happy about it. But at the end of the day, you have to zoom out because you can't make one game pile on to 10."

Jokic flashed his usual easygoing control, posting a triple-double (20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, plus 14 rebounds and 10 assists) in three quarters. All five Denver starters scored in double figures.

Wendell Carter Jr. led six Magic double-digit scorers, posting a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double. In his first game against his former team, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12.

Tristan da Silva, who left in the second quarter because of a cut on his face, received stitches and returned in the second half and finished with 14 points.

In his fifth game back from injury (and 10th overall), Paolo Banchero suffered through his worst night, scoring 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting. While still on a minutes restriction, Mosley said his young All-Star was "trying to make all the right plays."

Overall, the Magic's season-long struggle to shoot the ball again left them overmatched against a much better offense. Orlando forced 19 Denver turnovers but shot 36.9 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three.

Denver outscored the Magic in the paint 52-42, outrebounded Orlando 63-49, and made more free throws (26) on more attempts (31) than Orlando (12-of-16).

Up Next

The Magic head north for a one-off matchup with the Toronto Raptors. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena.

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