Orlando @ Denver preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2017 ) Orlando 112, Denver 125

Emmanuel Mudiay spent the bulk of the second half of last season watching from the bench while Jamal Murray took his job and heard his name thrown around in trade talks as a result, but it appears he is very much a part of the Denver Nuggets' plans now. The third-year pro looks to continue his recent offensive surge Saturday when the Nuggets wrap up a six-game homestand against the Orlando Magic.

Mudiay, who was limited to 55 games in 2016-17 due to injury, scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter en route to Thursday's 102-94 victory over Oklahoma City, giving Denver six wins in its last eight games. Coach Mike Malone called the backup guard "the MVP of the night" for his efforts versus the Thunder in a postgame interview, and the former No. 7 overall pick has made his presence felt offensively during the Nuggets' 6-2 stretch, scoring at least 15 points six times. The Magic shined in the opener of their four-game road swing against Western Conference foes Friday, riding 22 points from Aaron Gordon to a 128-112 victory over Phoenix. Orlando is off to its best 12-game start since going 9-3 in 2011-12 and has won three straight on the road.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), Altitude (Denver)

ABOUT THE MAGIC (8-4): After converting 28.8 percent of his long-range tries last season, Gordon continued to show his improvement beyond the arc is no fluke, as he nailed both of his attempts Friday to lift his 3-point shooting percentage to 57.5 - the second-best mark in the NBA. Elfrid Payton returned from an eight-game absence with a hamstring injury Wednesday with 11 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes of action, but he showed some rust Friday by committing six turnovers in only 17 minutes. No. 6 overall pick Jonathan Isaac enjoyed the finest performance of his brief NBA career versus the Suns, scoring a season-high 11 points and pulling down six boards in 21 minutes.

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (7-5): Mudiay's season-best scoring effort was only a small part of the solid 49-point effort Denver got from its bench Thursday, as Mason Plumlee and Will Barton each pitched in 13 points; the trio combined to shoot 17-of-29 from the field to offset the 21-for-53 showing from the starters. Paul Millsap struggled the most among the first five with a 6-for-17 effort and continued to misfire beyond the arc - 2-of-14 over the last four games - but the four-time All-Star made up for it a bit Thursday by matching a career high with six blocks. Since averaging 23.3 points on 60 percent shooting over a three-game stretch from Oct. 29-Nov.1, Murray is scoring 6.3 points per game on 36 percent from the field in the past four outings.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Mudiay on Friday became the first Nuggets' player - since Denver joined the NBA in 1976-77 - to score at least 21 points in a game with 10 or fewer shots and no more than one free-throw attempt.

2. Orlando has buried at least 13 triples in four of its last six contests and in six games overall this season. The Magic's 40.6-percent conversion rate beyond the arc ranks second in the league.

3. Since losing its first two games when C Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double, Denver has won each of its last six such contests.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 118, Magic 104