ORLANDO _ Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford emphasized to his players during the weekend they had to get back to relentless defensive effort that earned them a playoff bid last season.
They did it on Monday night.
Led by Terrence Ross' season-high 26 points, Jonathan Issac's defense and balanced scoring, the Magic defeated the Chicago Bulls 103-95 at the Amway Center.
Orlando (13-17) snapped its three-game losing in the process. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and Aaron Gordon played his best half in a couple of weeks during the opening 24 minutes.
But it was Isaac's activity on both ends that caused problems for Chicago.
The Bulls (12-20) had trouble trying to shoot over Isaac.
He contested almost every shot he faced and came up with multiple steals and blocks.
In the third quarter, he showed why he's so valuable on the defensive end. He blocked a shot, took a few dribbles, went past a defender, and then switched hands for a layup to tie the game at 60.
He finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who entered Monday's contest on a hot scoring streak, finished the contest with 26 points on 8-for-26 shooting.
Gordon, who has been struggling with his efficiency from the floor lately, delivered a strong first half. Before tipoff, Clifford said he thought Gordon could get back on track playing the Bulls because of Chicago's tendency to play smaller lineups.
Gordon punished smaller Chicago defenders in the post and had a big chase-down block on Thaddeus Young after Gordon turned the ball over.
On the other end after the block, Gordon tried to put Young on a poster with a dunk but drew a foul instead. His performance should deliver a confidence boost.
The Magic entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead, but with less than four minutes remaining, a Markelle Fultz layup made it 97-91.
Gordon sealed the win with a dunk with 36.4 seconds left to give Orlando a 103-95 lead.
The Magic host Philadelphia at 7 p.m. on Friday at Amway Center.
