Magic 100, Nets 93
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Center Nikola Vucevic scored 20 points -- including eight in the final two minutes -- to lead the Orlando Magic to a 100-93 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
The Magic (19-13) won their seventh game in the last nine outings.
Guard Evan Fournier had 17 points and five assists. Reserve Victor Oladipo had 12 points and seven rebounds. Forward Tobias Harris 12 points and eight rebounds.
Brooklyn center Brook Lopez had his second consecutive big game with 24 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. He had 26 points and 12 rebounds Monday in a victory over the Heat.
Guard Bojan Bogdanovic scored 20 points. Forward Thaddeus Young had 16 points. Reserve Wayne Ellington scored nine points.
The game was tied, or the lead changed hands, nine times in the fourth quarter before Harris scored with 43 seconds remaining for the 94-93 lead the Magic never lost.
Lopez tied the game at 82 with a 3-point play. Young scored four consecutive points to give the Nets a 89-86 lead with 3:20 remaining.
The Nets (9-24) allowed 100 points or more for the 10th consecutive game. The Magic scored 100 or more for the nine consecutive times.
The Magic played without starting point guard Elfrid Payton for most of the game. He left midway through the first quarter with a troublesome left ankle sprain that he injured Monday night. Although he started Wednesday, he left early and never returned.
Reserve Jason Smith scored the first six points of the fourth period to give the Magic a 74-73 lead, their first lead since the first quarter. Bogdanovic also hit a pair of jumpers between 3-point baskets by Fournier and Victor Oladipo.
The Nets led 73-68 going into the fourth. The Magic made a 9-0 run midway in the third period to pull within three points, but they trailed the entire period.
The Nets led 52-45 at intermission after hitting all 11 of their free throws. Lopez had 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks to lead the early charge. Bogdanovic had 11 points and four rebounds early.
The Nets led 51-39 late in the second quarter before Harris hit back-to-back baskets to close the gap. Harris had eight points in the first half, but the Magic were sluggish overall early in the game.
Brooklyn's veteran forward Joe Johnson continued to struggle. He had only four points in 35 minutes Monday in Miami and was scoreless in 16 first half minutes Wednesday.
NOTES: A video tribute honored Magic coach Scott Skiles during a break, commemorating the 25th anniversary of his record-setting 30-assist game. His NBA record still stands. He played point guard for the Magic for five seasons. "Honestly, it rarely crosses my mind anymore," Skiles said. "Obviously, it's going to be broken at some point." ... Skiles' belief in passing is one reason the Magic came into Wednesday having 27, 31 and 28 assists in the previous three games. The Magic rank first in the NBA in field goal percentage (.519) since Dec. 13. ... Nets C Brook Lopez is a huge fan of nearby DisneyWorld and is having a home built on Disney property. He is one of two players in the NBA averaging more than 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The other is Pelicans forward Anthony Davis. ... Magic PG Elfrid Payton, who was questionable (sprained ankle) before the game but started, said he never has missed a game at any level because of injury. As a rookie last season, he was the only Magic player to play in all 82 games.