Paolo Banchero scored a team-high 24 points to help lead the Orlando Magic to a 113-98 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Jalen Suggs added 19 for the Magic (46-32), followed by Markelle Fultz’s 17 off the bench. Franz Wagner chipped in 16 for Orlando, which has won four of its last five games. Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Magic are tied with the New York Knicks for third in the Eastern Conference with four games remaining.
DeMar DeRozan led Chicago (37-41) with 30 points, while Javonte Green finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Andre Drummond collected 14 points and 10 rebounds and Ayo Dosunmu also scored 14 for the Bulls, who have dropped two of three games. Coby White scored 11 points and six assists for Chicago.
In the first quarter, the Magic jumped out to a 21-6 lead after Wagner’s triple at the 4:11 mark.
Fultz gave Orlando its largest lead of the first quarter, when his jumper extended the Magic’s lead to 31-12 with 20 seconds left. Drummond was able to end the low-scoring opening quarter with a bright spot for Chicago, beating the buzzer with a floater, cutting the deficit to 31-14.
The Bulls opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run, which was stamped with DeRozan’s jumper with 8:58 left.
The Magic were able to build back a 15-point cushion when Banchero’s jumper gave them a 46-31 advantage at the 4:02 mark.
Later, Suggs’ triple gave the Magic a 56-40 lead with 1:03 left, before Chicago ended the half with four straight points, cutting its halftime deficit to 56-44.
DeRozan led the Bulls with 12 points in the first half, while Wagner paced the Magic with 13 points and four rebounds.
After Chicago cut Orlando’s lead to 10 with 4:05 left in the third, a 13-2 Magic scoring run was capped with Joe Ingles’ step back triple, giving his team an 89-68 advantage with 1:13 remaining.
The Magic carried an 89-72 lead into the fourth quarter, but DeRozan spearheaded an 18-7 Chicago run, as his 3-point play cut Orlando’s advantage to just six with 6:49 to play.
From there, Banchero’s midrange bucket and another Ingles triple on consecutive possessions began a 12-1 Orlando run and helped the Bulls pull away for good.
The stretch was stamped with Carter’s 3-pointer, giving the Magic a commanding 108-91 lead with 3:17 left.
–Field Level Media
