Ross is Magic’s man in win over Timberwolves

Terrence Ross scored 19 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter as the host Orlando Magic posted a 136-125 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Ross made seven 3-pointers and Nikola Vucevic recorded his team-best 31st double-double (27 points, 10 assists) this season for the Magic, who have won five of six after losing eight of their previous nine.

Aaron Gordon added his first career triple-double of his career with 17 points, a career-high 12 assists and 11 rebounds as Orlando improved to 24-7 all-time at home versus Minnesota. The Magic's point total represented a season-high, eclipsing the 135 they scored in a victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 10. It also marked only the second time in franchise history that Orlando has scored at least 130 points in consecutive games (Nov. 17-18, 2018).

D'Angelo Russell scored 12 of his 28 points in the first quarter and Juan Hernangomez added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the reeling Timberwolves, who have lost 19 of their last 21 games. Russell capped his team's 10-2 run with his fifth 3-pointer of the contest and a short jumper to give Minnesota an 89-83 lead with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter. Ross and D.J. Augustin answered by connecting from beyond the arc to highlight Orlando's 20-7 run to end the quarter.

Ross, who entered the fourth quarter with 14 points, found his stroke from the outside. He drained a pair of 3-pointers and a short jumper to push the Magic's advantage to 119-106 midway into the quarter. Ross made a pair of 3-pointers as Orlando went on a 17-5 run to seize a 61-48 lead, but Russell countered by hitting two shots from beyond the arc as Minnesota clawed back into the contest. The Timberwolves' 17-8 run trimmed their deficit to four at 69-65 at intermission.

Both teams fared well from the floor in the first half, with Minnesota making 53.1 percent (26 of 49) of its shots and 42.1 percent (8 of 19) from 3-point range. Orlando shot 50.9 percent (27 of 53) from the floor, however, its 4-for-20 effort from 3-point range left a bit to be desired. --Field Level Media

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