Franz Wagner scored 32 points, matching his season high, as the Orlando Magic extended their winning streak to six games with a 109-99 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
Anthony Black set season bests with 20 points and nine assists, while Goga Bitadze posted 17 points and 10 rebounds. Orlando led by as much as 19 points and kept Phoenix under 100 points for the sixth consecutive game.
Phoenix fought back from a 94-78 deficit, narrowing the gap to 98-91 with a 3-pointer from Devin Booker at 3:36 left. However, Orlando responded with a 7-2 run to secure the win.
Jalen Suggs added 12 points for Orlando, which improved to 2-6 on the road, while remaining undefeated at home with a 7-0 record.
Phoenix played without Kevin Durant for the sixth straight game and Bradley Beal for the fourth consecutive game, both sidelined with left calf strains. Tyus Jones led the Suns with 18 points and eight assists.
Booker and Grayson Allen each scored 17 points, while Oso Ighodaro made a strong debut, scoring a career-high 12 points in his first start. Josh Okogie chipped in with 11 points.
The Magic started strong, scoring the first seven points of the game and leading 26-22 after the first quarter. After a slow start from beyond the arc, missing 10 of their first 11 3-point attempts, Orlando made three consecutive triples to go up 45-34 with 6:03 left in the second quarter.
Wagner’s 3-pointer helped cap a 10-2 run, giving the Magic a 64-48 lead at halftime. Wagner and Bitadze each had 15 points in the first half.
Orlando built their lead to 67-48 early in the third on a 3-pointer by Suggs, and Black’s buzzer-beater from deep pushed the Magic’s lead to 84-68 at the end of the third quarter.
Wagner has now scored at least 20 points in eight straight games. The Magic shot 51.3 percent from the field and hit 11 of 29 (37.9 percent) from 3-point range.
Mason Plumlee grabbed 11 rebounds for the Suns, who struggled from 3-point range, shooting just 29.3 percent (12 of 41). Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. missed his eighth consecutive game due to left foot plantar fasciitis.
