nba roundup | Monday’s games

Magic 119, 76ers 98

ORLANDO, FLA.

A little desperation went a long way for Orlando. The Magic shut down Philadelphia in the second half in a victory that moved them within a half-game of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. “They were desperate. They played like it and we did not,” said 76ers coach Brett Brown, whose team was held without a field goal for a second-half stretch of nearly 12 minutes. “Nik Vucevic is a really difficult matchup and [Evan] Fournier really had a fantastic night. Their desperation was evident.” Vucevic had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Fournier scored 24 points for the Magic, who outscored the 76ers 30-5 while Philadelphia missed 15 straight shots. “It’s impressive, especially when you look at all the firepower they have, even without Ben Simmons,” Vucevic said. “We needed this win with a tough road trip coming up, starting [tonight] in Miami.” The Magic completed their first 5-0 homestand in franchise history and moved a half-game behind Miami in chasing the final playoff spot in the East. They visit the Heat tonight. Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Playing without point guard Simmons, the 76ers led 60-57 after shooting 61.5 percent in the first half. The second half was a different story. “I thought we went away from what was working to get those field goals [in the first half],” said Tobias Harris, who had 12 of his 15 points in the first half. “But that game wasn’t won or lost on the offensive end for us. That game would have been won on the defensive end. We didn’t do a great job against them.”

Grizzlies 115, Thunder 103

MEMPHIS, TENN.

Bruno Caboclo scored a career-high 24 points, Tyler Dorsey added 21 and Memphis beat Oklahoma City. Delon Wright finished with 18 points and a career-best 13 assists for the Grizzlies. Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and 14 rebounds. All five starters finished in double figures as the Grizzlies ended a two-game slide. Paul George led the Thunder with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Dennis Schroder added 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Russell Westbrook finished with 16 points and seven assists, but was just 6 of 20 from the field and missed five of his six 3-point attempts. Oklahoma City lost for the fifth time in six games.

Associated Press