ORLANDO, Fla. — The depleted Clippers are searching and coming up empty.
Jalen Suggs made five 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 23 points and added seven assists, as the Orlando Magic overwhelmed the Clippers on Thursday night, handing them a 129-101 defeat – their ninth in the past 10 games.
Franz Wagner scored 20 points and Tristan da Silva added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who have won five of six. Desmond Bane had 15 points, and Anthony Black came off the Orlando bench with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
James Harden had 31 points and eight assists for the injury-plagued Clippers, who were playing the fourth game of a seven-game road trip. Ivica Zubac, the only other Clipper to score in double figures, had 14 points and a game-high 19 rebounds.
The Clippers played a second straight game without Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) and Jordan Miller (hamstring) and their ninth in a row without two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard (ankle and foot). They mounted few offensive threats outside of Harden, who shot 8 for 16 from the field (5 for 11 from 3-point range) and 10 for 12 from the free-throw line.
Orlando dominated the Clippers defensively, holding them to 40.4% shooting (36 for 89) from the floor while forcing 21 turnovers.
Suggs scored 20 points in the first half and finished with five 3-pointers. He did not play in the final quarter.
Orlando, which was playing a fourth consecutive game without star forward Paolo Banchero (groin), shot 18 for 34 from 3-point range (52.9%). Nine different Magic shooters made at least one 3-pointer, and Suggs hit one of his to give them a 61-49 lead at halftime.
The Magic owed their balanced scoring to effective ball movement, scoring 32 of their 45 made field goals off of assists. Suggs led the way with seven assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. dished out six.
The Magic were also excellent at the free-throw line, going 21 for 24.
Orlando led almost wire-to-wire, but the Magic’s definitive stretch came in the latter half of the third quarter when they held the Clippers without a point for almost three minutes. The Clippers’ drought overlapped with a 16-7 Orlando run, during which the Magic opened an 88-69 lead with 1:56 to play in the period.
The lead reached 26 when Bane, Carter and Black combined for four 3-pointers in the first 2:21 of the fourth quarter.
Orlando’s advantage swelled to as many as 30 points when Jase Richardson knocked down a 3-pointer in the final minute.
UP NEXT
The Clippers visit Charlotte on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT.