National Basketball Association
Denver 103, Orlando 89
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 8, 2017
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #27 Mitchell Ervin, #58 Josh Tiven
Attendance: 16024

ORLANDO, Fla. -- At least for one night, the Denver Nuggets felt right at home on the road.

The Nuggets, who have flourished at home and floundered on the road this season, breezed past the Orlando Magic 103-89 on Friday with a dominating second-half performance at the Amway Center.

The Magic (11-16) lost forward Aaron Gordon, the team's leading scorer, in the second half with a concussion stemming from a first-half collision with Denver's Gary Harris.

"It felt great to get one away from home tonight," Nuggets veteran Kenneth Faried said. "I think we just said to ourselves, 'Let's do it like we do it at home.' It's just one win, but maybe it's the start of something good."

Faried scored a season-high 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots, leading an impressive performance by the Nuggets reserves, who outscored their Magic counterparts 53-16.

Starter Will Barton had 19 points and six rebounds for Denver, and reserve Emmanuel Mudiay had 18 points.

The Nuggets (14-11) had lost their previous four road games. They are 10-2 at home with a six-game winning streak, but even with Friday's win, they are an unsightly 4-9 away from home.

"We were in a lock-down mode tonight. This was one we needed to get us going again, get us some confidence," Faried said. "We're out there having fun, relying on each other, just playing like we play at home."

Harris and Malik Beasley each had 12 points, and Wilson Chandler added 11 for Denver.

Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 21 points and 17 rebounds. Jonathon Simmons scored 21 points. Elfrid Payton managed 11 points and six assists.

The Magic already were without second-leading scorer Evan Fournier. Losing Gordon just added to their misery.

"Yeah, it's tough, but everybody in the league has injuries," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "You know we can't feel sorry for ourselves now. We have to go get a win tomorrow night (in Atlanta)."

After leading almost the entire first half, the Magic faded badly in the second, scoring only 22 points in the third quarter and 19 in the fourth. The Nuggets took a third-quarter lead on a driving dunk by Harris and never looked back.

"They just picked up the pressure on us and we couldn't score as a group," Simmons said. "Guys have to step up now. Players get hurt. Other guys have to step up."

Harris and Chandler, starters who both failed to score in the first half, combined for 19 points in the third quarter, pushing the Nuggets to an 81-70 lead.

"The story of the game, for me, was our defense," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "I loved our defense tonight, and hope that we can become a little bit more consistent with it."

The Nuggets led 49-48 at halftime despite getting only 16 points from their starters and trailing for the first 23 minutes.

The Magic led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but Mudiay sparked the Nuggets with 11 points in the second quarter.

Simmons had 11 points in the first quarter and 16 by halftime. Barton had 12 points. The Denver reserves scored 33 points in the first half, including 11 each by Faried and Mudiay.

NOTES: The Magic led 25-14 after the first quarter, the 10th consecutive time the Nuggets were outscored away from home in the opening period. ... Magic veteran G Arron Afflalo started for the first time this season, replacing Evan Fournier (sprained right ankle), who is averaging 18.3 points per game. He was injured late in Wednesday's victory. ... The Nuggets also were without their second-leading scorer. C Nikola Jokic (15.5 ppg) missed his fourth consecutive game (sprained left ankle), although the Nuggets expect him back soon. They are still without veteran F Paul Millsap (left wrist ligament). ... Magic G/F Terrence Ross (right knee) missed his fifth consecutive game. ... For the Nuggets, this was game three of a six-game road trip. They play Sunday in Indiana. ... The Magic play Saturday night in Atlanta. ... The Nuggets beat the Magic by 18 points earlier this season in Denver.
Top Game Performances
 
Denver   Orlando
Kenneth Faried 20 Scoring Jonathon Simmons 21
Will Barton 5 Assists Elfrid Payton 6
Kenneth Faried 10 Rebounds Nikola Vucevic 17
Kenneth Faried 4 Free Throws Made D.J. Augustin 4
Will Barton 4 Steals D.J. Augustin 1
Mason Plumlee 3 Blocks Nikola Vucevic 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Denver 103 49.4 6-21 13-16 21 44 7 7 13
Orlando 89 39.8 5-21 18-23 18 42 7 5 15
Upcoming Games
  • Orlando will play their next game on the road against Atlanta. The Magic have a W/L % of .364 after a win and .438 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .750 after a loss.