Orlando Magic center Khem Birch (24) is congratulated by forward James Ennis III (11) against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter at Amway Center on January 6, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Terrence Ross scored 20 points and Dwayne Bacon added 19 to propel the host Orlando Magic to a 105-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Ross made 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range and Bacon converted 8 of 14 attempts from the floor to send Orlando to its sixth straight win over Cleveland.
Nikola Vucevic scored 16 points and Aaron Gordon had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who answered a modest two-game skid with back-to-back wins over the Cavaliers. Orlando benefited from a third-quarter scoring surge in a 103-83 victory on Monday.
Cleveland’s Collin Sexton scored 21 points to set a franchise record of eight straight games with at least 20 points to start a season. The record was formerly held by LeBron James in 2004-05.
Andre Drummond notched his eighth consecutive double-double after collecting 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have dropped four of their last five games. Cleveland did itself no favors by making just 4 of 26 attempts from 3-point range.
Cavaliers rookie Isaac Okoro scored 10 points in his return from a five-game absence. He initially was sidelined with a sprained foot before being placed in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol.
Cleveland played without Darius Garland and Dante Exum. Garland is out for as long as a week with a shoulder sprain while Exum will miss six-to-eight weeks with a strained right calf.
Orlando limped out of the blocks by making just one of eight shots before making 20 of its next 32 from the floor to secure a 51-45 lead at halftime. Vucevic led the charge, as he scored 11 points in the second quarter after Drummond went to the bench with his third foul.
Bacon sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around another basket to give the Magic a 64-52 lead with 7:40 remaining in the third quarter. Ross converted twice from beyond the arc in the final 3:39 of the quarter to stake Orlando to an 83-64 advantage.
The Magic were not seriously threatened in the fourth quarter.