Suns try to conjure up some road magic against Orlando
The Phoenix Suns have tied the franchise record for their longest losing streak on the road. They'll try to avoid a record-setting 18th road loss as they move up the road from Miami to Orlando for a Friday night game against the Magic.
The game can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona and FOX Sports GO, starting at 4:30 p.m.
The Suns are 3-30 since Dec. 20 following Thursday's 108-92 loss to the Heat and haven't won on the road since Dec. 7. Their streak matches a record set by the 1973-74 Suns team coached by John McLeod and led by Charlie Scott, Neal Walk and Dick Van Arsdale.
Devin Booker was a bright spot in Thursday's loss with 15 of his season-high 34 points in the fourth quarter.
The Suns rank in the league's top 10 with 14.3 fast-break points per game. They scored 19 on the break en route to their fourth win in five meetings with Orlando, 107-104 in Phoenix on Dec. 9.
"We have to get back on defense," Orlando coach Scott Skiles said. "They come at you fast."
Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe led the way with 21 points apiece for the Suns (15-46) in December, but they've long since been sidelined due to injury. Alex Len added 20 points and 14 rebounds and Mirza Teletovic scored 15 with four 3-pointers.
Devin Booker, Aaron Gordon and #SunsAtMagic tonight on FOX Sports Arizona & streaming on FOX Sports GO pic.twitter.com/VMKZQu2ktW
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) March 4, 2016
Orlando (27-33) is coming off a 102-89 win on its homecourt over Chicago on Wednesday, holding the Bulls to 38.4 percent shooting and allowing their fewest points since limiting Brooklyn to 77 on Jan. 8.
The Magic ranked sixth in the NBA in limiting opponents to 98.4 points during a 19-13 start, but that all changed once the calender flipped to 2016, as they gave up 107.1 while dropping 20 of the next 27.
"We're hoping we can start stringing some games together because that's where we were (early in the season)," Skiles said. "If we had bad moments in a game, it tended to be four or five rather than 24 or 25. It's something we got away from and have to get back to."
The Magic, who haven't reached the playoffs since the 2011-12 season, are 11th in the Eastern Conference and 3 1/2 games behind eighth-place Detroit with 22 left. They'll try to keep closing the gap with only their second back-to-back wins since Dec. 28 and 30.
Nikola Vucevic led the way with 24 points Wednesday, and former Arizona star Aaron Gordon contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds. Mario Hezonja had a season-high 21 points while filling in for the injured Evan Fournier, who hopes to return against the Suns.
Vucevic is averaging 22.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last 10 games and Gordon has put up 15.6 and 8.6 over his past five.
