Franz Wagner scored 27 points and the Orlando Magic broke a five-game losing streak, never trailing in a 115-88 victory over the injury-depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Mo Wagner added 17 points for Orlando.
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Brandon Boston Jr. had 26 points for New Orleans. Jose Alvarado added 21 points, five rebounds and five assists.
After the Magic took a 24-point lead, Boston and Alvarado combined for 15 points on a 17-1 Pelicans run that cut it to 10.
Jalen Suggs’ 3-pointer with 8:36 left in the third quarter ended a stretch of more than nine minutes in which the Magic did not make a field goal.
Takeaways
Pelicans: Without Zion Williamson, New Orleans was missing six of its top eight scorers and lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Magic: After losing five straight on a in which Paolo Banchero went out with a torn oblique, the Magic won for the 10th straight time at home, going back to March 30 and including the postseason. They are 2-14 on the road in that span.
Key moment
New Orleans announced two hours before tipoff that Williamson, coming off a 29-point game in 29 minutes in a loss to Cleveland, would not play due to a tight left hamstring.
Key stat
On their way to taking a 24-point lead in the first 18 minutes, the Magic converted six dunks, six layups and four 3-pointers, allowing them to survive a long cold stretch and 8-for-32 3-point shooting.
Up next
The Pelicans return home to face Brooklyn on Monday night. The Magic host Washington on Sunday night.
___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba