Hornets 120, Magic 116 (OT)
ORLANDO -- Point guard Kemba Walker had 40 points, nine assists and seven rebounds Friday night to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 120-116 victory in overtime over the stunned Orlando Magic.
Walker, who scored 52 points earlier this week against Utah, made 14 of 28 shots. Reserve Troy Daniels had 17 points. Forward Marvin Williams had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Hornets. Center Spencer Hawes had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Magic were led by Victor Oladipo with 29 points. Tobias Harris had 22 points. Center Nikola Vucevic had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Evan Fournier had 15 points. Point guard Elfrid Payton contributed 11 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Oladipo gave the Magic a 116-115 lead with 26 seconds remaining in overtime when he hit a layup after stealing the ball from Walker. Hawes hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 17 seconds remaining for the 118-116 lead. Walker finished the scoring with a pair of free throws.
Oladipo sent the game into overtime at 99-99 by hitting a 3-pointer with 5.3 seconds remaining. The Hornets had made a 19-3 run late in the fourth quarter for the 109-106 lead. Walker scored with 12 seconds remaining.
The Magic committed nine turnovers and made just four of 17 shots in the fourth quarter when they blew an 18-point lead.
Charlotte reserve Brian Roberts scored nine points in a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter that cut the Magic lead to 103-101. Walker hit a layup with :29 remaining for Charlotte's 107-106 lead, their first in the second half.
The Magic led 94-79 going into the final period and led by 18 points early in the quarter.
Oladipo hit four 3-pointers in the third period when the Magic rushed to an 89-70 lead, their largest of the game. The Magic had opened a 73-60 lead early in the third period with a 9-0 run that included back-to-back baskets from Vucevic.
The Magic led, 61-55, at intermission, riding a hot-shooting start and 13 points from Fournier, his first game this season as a reserve. He started the first 41 and averaged 13.6 points per game.
The Magic made 23 of 39 shots (59 percent) in the first half. Harris had 12 points and Oladipo had 10. Payton had six assists in the opening quarter when the Magic led, 35-30.
Magic forward Aaron Gordon, in his first start this season, committed three fouls in the first four minutes, went to the bench and didn't return until the second half.
Walker led all scorers with 15 points in the first half. The Hornets committed just three turnovers in those first two periods. They led by five points in the first period. The Magic led by as many as 10 points in the second.
NOTES: Magic coach Scott Skiles said it did not shock him to see the Cavs fire coach David Blatt on Friday despite having the best record in the Eastern Conference. "Nowadays, you can be Coach of the Year and get fired," said Skiles, who has been fired by three NBA teams. "It's just the way things have gone in my profession." ... Both teams came in struggling to find a win. The Hornets had lost 10 of their previous 12, and the Magic had lost eight of their last nine. ... Magic G Victor Oladipo returned after a two-game absence (sprained knee) and replaced Evan Fournier in the starting lineup. F Aaron Gordon replaced Channing Frye and got his first start of the season for the Magic. ... The Hornets, who have struggled to stay healthy all season, were without F Cody Zeller (right shoulder strain), G/F Nic Batum (sprained toe) and C Al Jefferson (knee). They have been without G Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, their best perimeter defender, all season because of shoulder surgery in October. He is expected to start playing next month. ... The Hornets play the Knicks in Charlotte on Saturday night before leaving on a four-game West Coast trip. The Magic don't play until Monday in Memphis.