Suns 109, Magic 93: Phoenix catches fire from deep to down Orlando

The Orlando Magic's struggles continued Wednesday in their 109-93 loss to the Phoenix Suns, their seventh straight defeat. Orlando committed 20 turnovers for 24 Suns points as Phoenix thrived in transition throughout the night. Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragić pushed the tempo ahead to lead that effort, finishing the game with a combined 25 points, 12 assists, five steals, and just three turnovers. Gerald Green scored 14 points with four three-pointers off the Suns' bench.

The Magic played without starting point guard Jameer Nelson, who sat due to a sore left knee. Starting center Nik Vučević logged just nine minutes before earning an ejection. In their absences, Arron Afflalo stepped up in a major way by scoring an efficient 20 points. Tobias Harris scored 23 with nine rebounds and three assists off the bench in a another solid performance.

Orlando stayed within striking distance of the Suns for much of the night, taking a one-point lead on a pair of Harris foul shots with 1:33 to play in the third quarter. Phoenix responded by going on a 27-5 run over the next seven-plus minutes, with an athletic fast-break hoop by former Orlando point guard Ish Smith capping that hot streak, which included four three-point baskets.

The Suns caught fire just as Orlando went cold, contributing to the speed with which the game got out of the Magic's reach. In the 27-5 Phoenix spurt, the Magic went 1-of-10 from the floor with six turnovers, while the Suns shot 11-of-13 from the floor overall and 5-of-7 from three-point distance.