ORLANDO, Fla. _ Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic have experienced so many defeats in recent years that they've gotten sick and tired of losing.
On Wednesday night, they did something about it.
With the Orlando Magic about to cough up a 17-point lead to the Miami Heat on opening night, Fournier and Vucevic provided a boost their teammates desperately needed and led the Magic to a 116-109 victory at Amway Center.
The Magic hadn't won on opening night since 2012.
And for a while, it looked like their losing streak would continue.
Once ahead 97-80 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Magic allowed their lead to erode to 105-103 when the Heat's Goran Dragic sank a pair of free throws with 2:39 to play.
Fournier and Vucevic then took control.
Fournier sank a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer off a pass from Elfrid Payton to increase Orlando's lead to 108-103. After Hassan Whiteside scored on a layup on Miami's ensuing possession, Vucevic swished a jumper from 21 feet to put Orlando ahead, 110-105.
On the Heat's next trip down the floor, Whiteside scored on a tip-in.
But 10 seconds later, Fournier sliced through the lane and scored on a right-handed finger roll with 1:29 remaining in the game.
Orlando led 112-107. It had the breathing room it needed.
Fournier scored nine of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter while Vucevic finished with 19 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
They received support from Payton, who added 13 points, nine assists and had four turnovers.
Orlando trailed 31-24 late in the first quarter _ its biggest deficit of the game.
The Magic outscored the Heat the rest of the half 34-24, limiting the Heat's dribble penetration and holding the Heat to 10-of-24 shooting during that stretch.
And the Magic's hot streak continued early in the third quarter. They opened the second half on a 14-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Fournier, a jumper by Payton, a dunk by Aaron Gordon off an offensive rebound and a 3 by Terrence Ross.
The outburst put Orlando ahead ,72-57.
And the Magic padded their lead to 79-64 when Payton swished a wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner.
The Magic didn't have to wait long to see whether they've shored up their porous perimeter defense, one of their many Achilles' heels last season.
The Heat's speedy point guard, Dragic, and array of 3-point shooters tested the Magic.
"They're a hard-charging team, a hard-driving team, a team that can really shoot the ball from the perimeter that challenges your defensive space," Magic coach Frank Vogel said before tipoff. "That's why they had such success last year. We've got to put our hard hats on and sit down and work to contain these guys."
Dragic drove into the paint at will against the Magic last season, soft-tossing lobs in pick-and-rolls to Whiteside and creating drive-and-kick opportunities for perimeter shooters.
Wednesday's game started poorly on defense for Orlando, which gave up 16 of Miami's first 31 points in the paint.
But the Magic recovered.
Few, if any, credible pundits expect the Magic to reach the playoffs this season _ not after the team finished 29-53 last year and made few offseason moves to change a nucleus that has never won together.
But a pathway to the playoffs does exist, even though it's narrow and littered with obstacles. To have a chance at the postseason, the Magic need to take advantage of the rebuilding projects just undertaken by the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. And just as important, the Magic need to strengthen their leaky defense, which ranked among the league's worst last season.
The Magic need to improve their defense at the point of attack, and that means Payton must start to fulfill the expectations Magic officials had for his defense when they acquired him on draft night in 2014.
On Wednesday, Payton outplayed Dragic.
Payton went six for 12 from the field while Dragic finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and six assists.
But Fournier and Vucevic provided the spark the Magic needed at the exact time they needed it.
Whiteside finished with 26 points and 22 rebounds.
