LDN - Sports

Payton's triple-double leads Magic over Bulls

[March 09, 2017] ORLANDO, Fla. -- The second triple-double of the week for point guard Elfrid Payton felt a whole lot better than the first.

Winning does that.

Payton had 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists Wednesday in leading the Orlando Magic to a 98-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls at the Amway Center.

He had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on Monday when the Magic blew a 14-point and lost to the New York Knicks.

"I feel better about the win tonight than anything," Payton said. "Tonight, I was just doing everything I could to effect the game. The numbers don't mean that much. The winning does. Those (triple-doubles) don't mean much if you don't win."

The Magic (24-41) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Bulls (31-33) lost their third consecutive game, putting a dent in their sagging playoff hopes.

Payton, meanwhile, is playing the best basketball of his just-budding career, trying to establish himself as the team's point guard of the future.

"Back-to-back triple-doubles is pretty impressive," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "I'm proud of the kid. He's had his share of ups and downs this season, but he just put together two of his best games. He did a great job tonight."

His 14 rebounds were a career high. His 14 assists tied a career high. This was the fifth triple-double of his three-year NBA career, but just his second this season.

"He carried us tonight with his aggressiveness," said teammate Evan Fournier. "And we needed that."

Fournier scored 20 points while hitting 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Terrence Ross had 14 points and Aaron Gordon 13.

Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points. Jerian Grant scored 13 points and hit three of his four 3-point attempts. Robin Lopez had 10 points with nine rebounds, Cristiano Felicio hit 5 of 7 shots for 11 points and Rajon Rondo had eight points.

The Magic took an 87-81 lead early in the fourth after trailing for most of the first three periods. They never lost the lead. The Bulls cut the deficit to 88-86 when Grant scored. They cut it to 93-91 when Grant scored again on a step-back jumper with 2:10 remaining.

Fournier closed the game with three consecutive free throws. The Bulls rallied late when Grant scored seven points in the final 5:30, but it wasn't enough. Butler missed all five of his shots in the fourth quarter when he failed to score.

"It's my job to make something happen at the end," Butler said. "I have to start making shots, finishing, doing all the things I'm supposed to do. We put ourselves in this position. But that's basketball. It'll turn around."

After dominating the first half, the Bulls were outscored by 10 points in the third quarter and by seven points in the fourth.

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Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) gives thumbs up to the bench against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

"We have to find a way," Rondo said. "It's mental toughness. You can't pick and choose when you want to turn it on and off. You have to come in with the right mindset, and we didn't do that tonight."

Fournier hit a 3-pointer that tied the game at 77 at the end of the third period. Payton converted a 3-point play and Ross followed with a 3-pointer that cut the Bulls lead to 71-70. Fournier had 12 points in the quarter when the Magic erased a 10-point halftime deficit.

Payton secured his triple-double before the third period ended.

The Bulls led 53-43 at intermission after Butler hit a 3-pointer -- his second of the game -- as the buzzer sounded. The Bulls led by as many as 11 points in the first half when they shot 51.2 percent from the field and made 7 of 12 shots from 3-point range.

Butler had 13 points by halftime. Payton had 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds at the break but the Magic shot 39 percent. Their only first-half lead was early in the opening quarter.

The Bulls committed eight turnovers in the first two periods, but they also scored 22 points from inside the lane.

NOTES: Reserve PG Rajon Rondo returned Wednesday after missing one game with an ankle sprain. ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic missed his third consecutive game with a sore right Achilles. "I think it just needs to calm down a little bit," he said before the game. "I feel a little better each day with the rest. Hopefully, it won't be too (much) longer before I'm back." ... Bulls F Jimmy Butler missed the morning practice, but was good to go Friday night. ... When Magic G Evan Fournier hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter, it was the 803rd consecutive game the Magic made at least one 3-pointer, dating back to March 17, 2007. ... Magic G Elfrid Payton, in his third season, became the team's all-time leader in triple-doubles (four) earlier this week in a loss to New York. Surprisingly, former players Penny Hardaway and Tracy McGrady each had only two triple-doubles when they played in Orlando. Hedo Turkoglu had three.

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