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Orlando Magic’s winning streak reaches six games with a strong performance over Phoenix Suns
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Orlando Magic’s winning streak reaches six games with a strong performance over Phoenix Suns

The Orlando Magic had a simple goal before heading west: make their defense travel.

They had won five straight home games with every opponent held under 100 points, but could the Magic do that on the road?

Yes. The Magic survived a late challenge from the Phoenix Suns to earn a 109-99 victory. The win streak now stands at six games, as the Magic improved to 9-6.

Orlando became the first team since the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 to hold their opponents under 100 points in six consecutive games.

“Every night we are who we are,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of his team’s defensive efforts. “I think the defense set the tone early for what we wanted to do and got us some easy baskets. We just have to keep up that effort.”

Phoenix shot 42.2 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three on 41 attempts. Orlando forced 13 Suns turnovers, leading to 16 Magic points.

Franz Wagner, the newly crowned Eastern Conference Player of the Week, resumed his strong play with 32 points, five rebounds and eight assists – his eighth consecutive game of 20 or more points.

Wagner, who Mosley said is playing at an “All-Star level,” became the first player in franchise history since Tracy McGrady to post consecutive wins while posting stat lines of 30-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists. Over his past seven games, Wagner is averaging 28.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

“He’s been winning a lot of games for us lately,” guard Anthony Black said. “He has taken a big step forward and uses his voice a lot. He now tells us approximately where he wants us and what he sees there. We are responding to him and he is playing at a high level.”

“If you ask me,” Black continued, “he’s definitely playing at an All-Star level.”

Goga Bitadze added a season-high points with 17, all but two in the first half as Orlando built a 16-point lead. He grabbed 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double.

Black enjoyed his best game of the season, scoring a season-high 20 points with five rebounds, nine assists and three steals. In his post-game TV spot, the second-year guard said things are slowing down for him one game at a time, and his teammates and coaches are trusting him to make plays and learn from mistakes.

His performance on Monday was the latest to live up to that belief.

“I feel like this whole year, even during training camp, everyone could see the progress he made in the offseason,” Wagner said.

“(Black) was great,” Mosley said. “As soon as he came into the locker room, the guys got him excited, and for good reason. He puts in so much work between the ups and downs, but he just stays the course.”

A night after scoring 44 points in the first half of Phoenix’s back-to-back, Suns All-Star Devin Booker was held to 17. With fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal out with injuries, Booker was top of mind for the Magic’s defensive focus.

“We definitely executed the game plan well,” Black said. “5-for-14, which is less than his normal day. That’s all we’re going for as a defense.”

Orlando’s second road win came in the first of three games in the West. The Magic will play back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

“It’s a tough journey,” Black said. “We’re playing against three strong teams, so we definitely put emphasis on this first one. It’s a good start to the journey, good momentum. Six in a row, we’re playing good ball.”

The Magic make their first trip to the new Intuit Dome on Wednesday, meeting the Los Angeles Clippers for game two of this trip on the West Coast. Tipoff is 10:30 PM ET.

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