National Basketball Association
Denver 110, Orlando 99
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials:
#44 Brett Nansel, #15 Zach Zarba, #11 Derrick Collins
Attendance:
3485
By Field Level Media
Nikola Jokic collected 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists to lift the visiting Denver Nuggets to a 110-99 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
The triple-double was the second in as many games, 12th this season and 53rd career for Jokic, who was named the Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
Jamal Murray had 21 points, Will Barton added 17 and Michael Porter Jr. chipped in with 18 for the Nuggets, who have won nine of their last 11 games and nine straight against Orlando.
P.J. Dozier had 14 points off the bench to help Denver extend its road winning streak to six games by taking the opener of the three-game trek.
Evan Fournier sank five 3-pointers to highlight his season-high-tying 31-point performance for the Magic, who have dropped 11 of their last 12 games. Nikola Vucevic had 18 points (on 8-for-25 shooting) and Al-Farouq Aminu added 17 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Orlando whittled a 24-point deficit to five on two occasions in the fourth quarter, with the latter coming after Fournier drained a 3-pointer with 7:06 to play.
The Nuggets prevented the Magic from completing the comeback, however. Jokic continued to exploit the interior before Porter drained a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to push the advantage to 104-92 with 2:33 remaining.
Jokic calmly sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to stake Denver to a 61-39 lead at halftime. Jokic's long-distance attempt notwithstanding, Denver spent the majority of its time exploiting the interior to the tune of scoring 42 points in the paint while shooting a robust 56.0 percent from the floor.
The Magic responded with a 20-6 run to start the third quarter, capped by Aaron Gordon's 3-pointer with 6:39 to play. Fournier scored seven points in that stretch, highlighted by a fadeaway shot off the glass and a three-point play.
Prior to the game, an emotional Nuggets coach Michael Malone broke down in tears while reading the names of the 10 victims of Monday's shooting massacre in Boulder (Colo.).
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Denver |
|
Orlando |
|
Nikola Jokic 28 |
Scoring |
Evan Fournier 31 |
|
Nikola Jokic 10 |
Assists |
Al-Farouq Aminu 6 |
|
Nikola Jokic 15 |
Rebounds |
Al-Farouq Aminu 10 |
|
Nikola Jokic 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Evan Fournier 6 |
|
Will Barton 3 |
Steals |
Al-Farouq Aminu 2 |
|
JaMychal Green 2 |
Blocks |
Al-Farouq Aminu 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Denver
|
110 |
49.5 |
8-30 |
12-13 |
25 |
52 |
7 |
12 |
12 |
| Orlando
|
99 |
44.3 |
11-34 |
10-14 |
27 |
37 |
4 |
8 |
13 |
Upcoming Games
-
Orlando will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Magic have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .250 after a loss.
-
Denver will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .706 after a loss.
For more information, contact us