ORLANDO, Fla. _ Magic center Nikola Vucevic had a double-double by halftime for the second straight game, D.J Augustin came out fired up with seven of Orlando's first 12 points and Evan Fournier was right on target all night.
Add Terrence Ross off the bench and a huge third quarter from Aaron Gordon and the result was a blowout of the visiting New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night at Amway Center.
The Magic took advantage of the Pelicans missing All-Star big man Anthony Davis and cruised to a crucial third consecutive victory by a score of 119-96.
Fournier led the way with 22 points, Gordon added 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Vucevic finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds, and Augustin scored 13 points.
Couple the offensive outbursts with the Magic's defensive prowess and it was difficult for New Orleans to muster anything all night, with Orlando building up a 35-point lead in the third quarter.
The Magic had 10 blocked shots and seven steals in a game that had to make coach Steve Clifford happy.
Davis, one of the top players in the league, left the Pelicans on Wednesday to return home and be with his daughter, who is ill. The timeline for his return to the team is unknown.
The Magic were also facing a red-hot former teammate in Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton, who was coming off five straight games with triple-doubles. Not Wednesday. Orlando held him to seven points, two assists and three rebounds.
The victory helped the Magic keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race, in which they trailed the Miami Heat by 1.5 games for the eighth and final postseason position going into Wednesday's games. The Heat played late at San Antonio.
