Magic 101, Lakers 99
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Nikola Vucevic hit a shot at the buzzer to lift the Orlando Magic to a 101-99 victory over the slumping Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
Vucevic, who entered the game as a reserve after missing the previous three games with a knee injury, finished with 18 points and five rebounds. Reserve guard Shabazz Napier scored a career-high 22 points to lead all scorers.
The Lakers (1-7) were without veteran Kobe Bryant for the second consecutive game because of a sore back.
The Lakers were led by veteran center Roy Hibbert with 15 points and six rebounds. Rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell had 14 points and six rebounds. Forward Julius Randle had 12 points, including six in the final five minutes. Rookie Larry Nance Jr. scored 13 points and reserve guard Lou Williams had 13.
The Magic (4-5) got 16 points from forward Evan Fournier and 11 from forward Tobias Harris. Reserve Channing Frye added 14 points.
The Magic lost starting guard Victor Oladipo midway in the first quarter with concussion-like symptoms after he collided with center Dewayne Dedmon. Both were chasing a loose ball and Dedmon caught him with an elbow on the head.
With the score tied at 99, Lakers committed a shot-clock violation with 1.5 seconds remaining when guard Lou Williams dribbled too long before shooting.
The fourth quarter was tight throughout. The score was tied or the lead changed hands 12 times.
The Magic scored the last seven points of the third quarter to take a 74-70 lead into the fourth. The lead changed hands 10 times in the third quarter. The Magic had 10 offensive rebounds in the quarter.
The Magic led 48-45 at intermission after hitting 7 of 11 shots from 3-point range. Both Fournier and Frye had 10 points before halftime.
Metta World Peace had nine points in the first two quarters for the Lakers. He opened the game by hitting his seventh consecutive 3-pointer.
Russell, who had only four points in the loss to Miami on Tuesday, scored the Lakers' first five points. He had seven in the first quarter.
Nance hit all four of his shots from the field in the first half for eight points.
NOTES: This was the third consecutive year that Kobe Bryant failed to play in the Lakers' only appearance in Orlando. Bryant missed his second consecutive game with a sore back. He has the worst shooting percentage (.320) among players with more than 60 shots taken. ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic returned Wednesday after missing the previous three games with a bone bruise in his right knee. "I don't think it's 100 percent yet, but I want to get out there with my teammates," Vucevic said before the game. ... Magic G C.J. Watson missed his first game with a sore left calf. ... Lakers F Metta World Peace, who got his second start in place of Bryant, came into the game shooting 77.8 percent from 3-point range (7 of 9), best in the NBA. ... Lakers coach Byron Scott said he was optimistic that Bryant would play Friday in Dallas. ... Lakers rookie G D'Angelo Russell started his eighth consecutive game, but he had not finished any of the first seven. He failed to even play in the fourth quarter in three of the first seven. "I'm not going to throw him to the wolves just because he's the No. 2 pick (in the draft)," Scott said. "If he's in there and playing in the last quarter, it's because he's totally prepared and ready."