Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) is defended by Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) in the first half of an NBA game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
James Harden scored 24 points and Amir Coffey added 18 as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their home winning streak to six games with a 104-93 victory over the Orlando Magic in the NBA on Wednesday in Inglewood, California.
Ivica Zubac scored 17 points with 12 rebounds and Kevin Porter Jr. added 10 points as the Clippers won the battle of strong defensive teams by holding their second straight opponent to under 100 points.
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The Clippers were without leading scorer Norman Powell (23.3 points), who suffered a left hamstring strain in their 102-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday.
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Anthony Black scored 17 points and Jalen Suggs added 16 as the Magic’s six-game winning streak ended. Franz Wagner scored 14 points for Orlando, which gave up 100 points for the first time in seven games.
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The Clippers won the rebounding battle 49-24.
The Clippers held a 62-60 lead with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter before going on a 16-4 run to take a 78-64 lead with 4:50 left in the period. Los Angeles went into the fourth quarter with an 87-75 advantage.
The Magic never threatened in the fourth quarter while losing for the first time since Nov. 6 on the road against the Indiana Pacers.
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Zubac’s fastbreak dunk off a pass from Kris Dunn gave the Clippers a 102-86 lead with 2:57 remaining, all but sealing the win.
Playing against his former team, the Clippers’ Mo Bamba scored seven points and added four rebounds in his third game of the season after returning from a knee injury.
The Magic continued to play without Paolo Banchero (oblique) and Wendell Carter Jr. (foot).
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Orlando shot 51.4 percent from the floor and Los Angeles shot 51.3 percent in the first half as the Clippers took a 57-54 lead. Los Angeles had a 22-10 rebounding advantage before halftime. –Field Level Media