CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Evan Fournier has been dealing with an illness and was feeling incredibly sluggish before Orlando’s game at Charlotte.
- Evan Fournier scored 26 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 106-83 win over the Charlotte Hornets
- The Magic finished their season-long six-game road trip 3-3
- Orlando returns home Wednesday to face the Oklahoma City Thunder
So the veteran guard did something he normally doesn’t do, slugging down one of those tiny energy shots as he prepared to take the floor.
He said it immediately gave him a spark.
“It got me going,” Fournier said with a wide smile as he held of the bottle. “I just did it because I’m sick. I’m trying anything right now to give me some energy because otherwise I’m just going to be dead tired.”
It seemed to work for Fournier, who scored 26 points in the Magic’s 106-83 victory over the sliding Hornets on Monday.
“He was great,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “He’s been hurt, he’s been sick and he’s playing through it. I mean he wasn’t good tonight, he was great.”
Nikola Vucevic added 24 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando, which closed out a six-game trip with a 3-3 record. Terrence Ross scored 16 of his 19 points in the first half.
The Magic shot 14 for 28 from 3-point range. Fournier made six 3s and Ross finished with five.
Malik Monk scored 20 points and P.J. Washington had 19 for the Hornets, who have lost seven straight.
Orlando began to take control with a 14-1 run to start the second quarter. Charlotte pulled within seven at the end of the third, but the Magic put together a strong finish.
Orlando blew the game open with a 27-8 run to start the final period. Fournier made a pair of 3s, Vucevic scored five quick points and Ross threw down a thunderous slam. Fournier and Vucevic each scored 12 in the fourth.
“The second half was one of the best we’ve played this season,” Clifford said.
Charlotte has gotten most of its scoring this season from Devonte Graham and Terry Rozier, but both guards struggled against the Magic. Graham shot 5 of 17 and had 15 points, while Rozier was held to four points after missing each of his six field goal attempts.
Charlotte was held to 38.2% percent shooting from the field and turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 14 points for the Magic.
“They weren’t running anything tricky,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “These aren’t things that we haven’t seen or any surprises with any plays. This is strictly just horrible execution, poor awareness, lack of professionalism coming out of the second quarter.”