ORLANDO, Fla. _ The Orlando Magic just cannot get their offense going.
On Wednesday night, it cost them.
Burdened by a lack of ball movement and a failure to hit open shots, the Magic lost to the Phoenix Suns 92-87 at Amway Center.
The Magic made only 36 percent of their shot attempts, but they still had chances to win.
Orlando cut Phoenix's lead to 76-75 on a layup by Nikola Vucevic with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Magic faded from that point on.
The Suns' Eric Bledsoe countered with a 3-pointer to extend Phoenix's lead to 79-75. One possession later, Bledsoe scored on a driving layup to increase the lead to 81-75.
After the Magic drew within 88-84, Evan Fournier drew a foul with 18.3 seconds to go. But Fournier made only one of his two free-throw attempts.
On Phoenix's ensuing possession, Orlando fouled Bledsoe, and Bledsoe made both of his foul shots.
Suns center Alex Len scored 17 points and collected 12 rebounds, while Bledsoe compiled 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
The Magic received a game-high 25 points from Fournier and 21 points and a game-high 13 rebounds from Vucevic.
But aside from D.J. Augustin, who added 12 points off the bench, Fournier and Vucevic didn't receive much support.
The Suns (5-11) ended a six-game road trip that also had taken them to Oakland, Denver, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Washington.
Phoenix players should have been road weary, especially when you consider that center Tyson Chandler missed his fourth consecutive game following the death of his mom and small forward T.J. Warren missed his third game in a row because of a minor head injury.
Instead, the Suns seemed energized. Their bench piped up every time a teammate made a good play, like taking a charge or sinking an open corner 3-pointer.
Early on, the Magic (6-9) sleep-walked on the court and looked disengaged on their bench.
The lethargy manifested itself on the offensive end of the court throughout most of the first half. Instead of making extra passes and swinging the ball from side-to-side, they typically settled for too much one-on-one play and too many jumpers early in the shot clock. They settled for bad or OK shots instead of making the effort to seek out good or great shots.
Orlando made only 35 percent of its first-half shot attempts. Third-year forward Aaron Gordon epitomized the offense's issues. He went 2 for 8 from the field in the first half, with mid-range or long-range jumpers accounting for six of his attempts.
The Suns went ahead 44-32 in the second quarter on a driving layup by Leandro Barbosa.
Then, the Magic finally showed signs of life. Vucevic hit a wide-open jumper from 20 feet, and Fournier followed with a 3-pointer, igniting a 12-2 run.
The run continued into the third quarter's early stages. Serge Ibaka blocked a dunk attempt by Alex Len. Vucevic hit a jumper over Len. A few sequences later, Vucevic fed Fournier for a wide-open 3-pointer that put the Magic ahead 49-46.
The Magic know they're in the midst of an important stretch.
The matchup against the Suns started a three-game home stand that will include games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
After those games, the Magic will go on a five-game road trip to face the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Wizards.
Translation: The Magic need to pick up as many wins as possible at home before they venture outside Central Florida.
On Wednesday, the Magic failed to take advantage of that opportunity.
