Reserve Shaedon Sharpe scored 23 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers easily defeated the Orlando Magic 119-90 on Thursday night.
Sharpe made most of his points from long range, hitting 3 of 6 three-pointers as part of a 9-for-14 shooting performance. Scoot Henderson also contributed 23 points and seven assists, while Deandre Ayton added 22 points. Portland improved to 6-1 in its last seven games.
The Trail Blazers took control of the game in the third quarter, using a 13-0 run with 3-pointers from Dalano Banton and Henderson and a three-point play by Sharpe. This gave Portland a strong 87-62 lead with 3:37 left in the third.
Franz Wagner tried to keep Orlando close, scoring a dunk, tipping in a miss, and making four free throws to help the Magic close the gap to 91-73 by the end of the third.
Despite Wagner’s effort, Orlando never got within 15 points during the fourth quarter.
Wagner finished as Orlando’s top scorer with 24 points, while Paolo Banchero added 21 points and six rebounds. Cole Anthony came off the bench to score 16 points.
The Magic struggled with shooting, making just 5 of 26 three-pointers and shooting 42 percent overall compared to Portland’s 52.6 percent.
Banchero scored eight points in the first quarter to help Orlando take a 35-28 lead into the second quarter.
Orlando was still ahead 40-33 with 10:08 left in the first half before Portland took charge.
The Trail Blazers went ahead 45-44 and then scored 17 of the final 26 points of the second quarter to lead 62-53 at halftime. Henderson led the charge with nine points in just under three minutes.
