Magic win 3rd straight, rally past Bulls 105-103
Victor Oladipo, right, nets the game-winner with 1.5 seconds left for Orlando.
On a night Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose returned to the court after a 20-game absence, the Orlando Magic — and, specifically, Victor Oladipo — found a way to steal the spotlight.
Oladipo made his final three shot attempts and led the Magic to a pulse-pounding 105-103 win Wednesday at Amway Center.
With the score tied 103-103 with 6.5 seconds to go, the Magic inbounded the ball to Oladipo, who drove past All-Star Jimmy Butler and scored on a layup with 1.5 seconds left.
On Chicago’s ensuing possession, an inbounds pass by Mike Dunleavy toward Pau Gasol as Oladipo was defending Gasol deflected off Gasol’s left arm and sailed out of bounds.
“We’re trying to treat every game like a playoff game,” Oladipo said.
Oladipo finished with a game-high 23 points, while center Nik Vucevic added 22
points and seven rebounds.
Elfrid Payton barely missed a triple-double, scoring 17 points to go along with nine rebounds and nine assists.
After Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic swished a 3-pointer to put the Bulls up 99-96 with 2:16 to go, Oladipo took control.
He made a runner from 7 feet.
And, after Butler missed a jumper, forward Aaron Gordon hurled Oladipo the ball in the right corner, and Oladipo sank a 3-pointer to gave the Magic a 101-99 lead with 1:30 left.
Gasol tied the score on a layup as he was fouled by Vucevic.
But Gasol missed his free throw, and on the Magic’s ensuing possession, Gordon sank a short jumper to put Orlando ahead 103-101.
“My shooting coach Dave Love — I love that guy,” Gordon said afterward. “He’s helped me out a lot, and I’m going to continue to shoot the ball, and I’m going to continue to make it.”
After misses by both teams, the Bulls had another chance to tie the score.
Chicago inbounded the ball with 10.5 seconds left, and the ball went to Gasol, Derrick Rose gestures during his return for the Bulls after a 20-game absence. who drove left to right across the lane and drew a reach-in foul on Vucevic.
Gasol sank both of his free throws to tie the score 103-103 with 6.5 seconds to go.
That set the stage for Oladipo’s key drive past Butler.
With the victory, the Magic (25-53) extended their winning streak to three games.
It’s just their second three-game winning streak of the season. The prior three-game winning streak, which took place Feb. 11-22, also occurred with James Borrego as the interim coach.
“Very encouraging,” Payton said. “This is what we need: momentum heading into next season closing out
these games.”
The Bulls (46-32) have lost three of their last four games.
The downturn has arrived at an inopportune time. The Bulls entered Wednesday with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, but the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards were lurking behind them closely in the standings. The Bulls need to finish among the East’s top four to have homecourt advantage in the playoffs’ first round.
Rose played in his first game since he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Feb. 27. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau started Rose at point guard and played Rose in five- to sixminute intervals. In just over 19 minutes, Rose compiled nine points, two assists and four turnovers.
Magic swingman Evan Fournier also returned from a long layoff. Playing for the first time since Feb. 25, the Frenchman scored 11 points and found himself on the court down the stretch.
Oladipo provided a crucial boost, too.
“I think he biggest thing I’m learning about scoring in this league [is] a lot of it is mental,” Oladipo said. “You can make your first three shots and then miss the rest of your shots for the rest of your game. And, then, the