ORLANDO — On many nights this season, the Nuggets have handled the second night of a back-to-back set without issues.
Not on Tuesday.
Defense slumbered for a second consecutive game, and the Nuggets suffered because of it. Orlando got a big night from former Nuggets guard Evan Fournier and used his production to power a 116-110 victory at the Amway Center.
“That’s two games in a row on this road trip that we’ve gotten away from what gave us success at home in that 5-2 homestand,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We allowed that team to score 116 points and 54 (percent) from the field, which is crazy.”
Familiar faces did the damage. According to those around the team, Fournier is in consideration to be the Magic’s MVP. He convinced more people that’s the case with a stellar shooting night.
He got heated up fast and finished with 30 points, tying a career high. Fournier hit 11-of-19 shots from the field, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He was routinely open, and he knocked down shots on many of those occasions.
Another familiar face, former Colorado State star Jason Smith, caught fire too. Smith did the bulk of his damage with midrange jump shots, piling them up until he eclipsed his previous season high, finishing with a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds. He fell just one point short of his career high.
“He torched us, honestly,” Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay said.
They were just two of the many problems the Nuggets had defending the Magic.
“From the get-go, they did not feel us, they got whatever they wanted,” Malone said. “Their pressure on defense rattled us, and they dominated the game.”
Victor Oladipo’s ability to get to the rim whenever he wanted was an issue. Defending the 3-point line was an issue. Keeping their cool was an issue. Smith got under Darrell Arthur’s skin so much that the mild-mannered veteran threw down the former Ram on a play in the paint late in the game. Late in the fourth quarter, D.J. Augustin picked up a technical foul for arguing with refs.
It was that kind of night — physical and frenzied.
“They played us tough in the first game (in Denver),” Arthur said. “I think that’s their mentality. They got up into us, they got up into our guards and made it tough to get into plays and things like that.”
The Nuggets fell behind by 18 points before getting a foothold in the third quarter. They chipped away, finished the third quarter on a 16-4 run and started the fourth with a real chance.
But Orlando kept the Nuggets at arm’s length. Smith scored 15 points in the fourth. The Nuggets chopped the lead to five with less than a minute to play, but the Magic pulled out the victory.
Seven Nuggets were in double figures, led by guard Gary Harris’ 18 points.
“We’re playing better teams,” Mudiay said. “No disrespect to the teams we played at home, but we’re playing playoff teams on this road trip. We’ve just got to go out there with energy.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or @dempseypost
