The Magic had hope before Aaron Gordon snuffed it out.
His late fourth-quarter 3-pointer snatched momentum from the charging Magic, and the Nuggets hung on, 121-111, to seize their final home game before the All-Star break. Now 32-25, the Nuggets have won four of their last five games and will head to Golden State on Wednesday before taking a well-deserved rest.
“A win is a win,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “… Not our best basketball by any stretch of the imagination. The 23 turnovers for 29 points, and some of them were just so careless. … I’m just thankful the game’s over, nobody got hurt and we won.