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From Orlando Sentinel

MAGIC 112, BULLS 110

Turkoglu gives Orlando Magic a happy new year

Hedo Turkoglu's last-second shot lifts the Magic to an OT win to end 2007.

Tim Povtak | Sentinel Staff Writer
January 1, 2008

CHICAGO - Ben Gordon scored all the points. Hedo Turkoglu scored when it mattered most.

Turkoglu might have struggled throughout the game, but he was perfect at the end, hitting the game-winning jumper with 0.7 second remaining in overtime to lift the Orlando Magic to a 112-110 victory against the Chicago Bulls on Monday afternoon.

He started the game by missing seven of his first eight shots. He also missed the shot that could have won the game in regulation.

Yet his confidence never wavered when he was summoned again to take the final attempt.

"It doesn't matter if you miss 30 in a row. You just forget them because you always get another chance," Turkoglu said. "I got mine, and now I don't remember all those bad passes I threw to nobody. All the bad is forgotten."

Turkoglu, having the finest season of his career, committed seven turnovers, many of them bad passes trying to feed Dwight Howard. His defense was suspect, too. Yet all was forgotten when Turkoglu scored seven of his 17 points in overtime.

"This wasn't one of his best nights. There were some point-shaving allegations in the locker room with all the bad passes he threw. I don't know what was going on out there tonight, but he still was our best option at the end," said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy. "He doesn't lose confidence."

Turkoglu hit a 13-foot running jumper over the outstretched hand of Bulls center Ben Wallace, who had switched to guard him when Howard had set a pick.

Until his heroics, it looked like Gordon would be the star. He scored a season-high 39 points, including an improbable 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds left in overtime to tie. Orlando looked helpless to stop him, even when everyone knew Chicago needed a 3.

The Magic (22-11) won their fourth consecutive game, securing their spot atop the Southeast Division. They also improved to 15-5 away from home, sporting the most road victories in the NBA and matching their own best number of road wins last season.

Much like they did Saturday, when they overcame a 48-point night from Dwyane Wade to beat the Miami Heat, the Magic negated Gordon with good balance and defense that improved in the second half.

Dwight Howard had 17 points and 22 rebounds. Rashard Lewis added 19 points, hitting three of six from 3-point range. Keith Bogans had 14 points.

Carlos Arroyo got his third start of the season, but only his first when Jameer Nelson was healthy enough to play, and he responded by hitting all seven of his shots for 14 points.

Yet it was Nelson who led the Magic in scoring with 22 points in his nearly 32 minutes in reserve. He hit eight of 15 shots. He scored the Magic's last five points in regulation and hit all three of his shots in overtime, including a jumper for the 108-107 lead with 26 seconds remaining.

It was tied at 96 at the end of regulation, and neither team looked good trying to score on plays that could have broken the tie. Gordon missed with 12 seconds to go on a long jumper. The Magic went with Turkoglu in the closing seconds, but he found nothing but Bulls on his drive to the basket, and his shot bounced off the rim.

The Magic rebounded from a seven-point halftime deficit to lead 77-75 going into the fourth quarter, riding six 3-pointers in that third period.

The Bulls led, 55-48 at halftime, getting another fast start from Gordon, who has flourished since moving back to a reserve role last week.

Gordon didn't like losing his starting job when Jim Boylan became coach (replacing Scott Skiles) but has had games of 31, 25 and now 39 points in his first three non-starts.

Howard had 10 points and 14 rebounds before intermission. Late in the first half, he grabbed his 500th rebound this season, making him the first player since Dennis Rodman in 1991 to have 500 before Jan. 1. Howard also became the first person since Ben Wallace (in Detroit in 2003) to have three games in a row of at least 20 rebounds.


Tim Povtak can be reached at tpovtak@orlandosentinel.com.

Related topic galleries: Stan Van Gundy, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Dwight Howard, Keith Bogans, Dwyane Wade, Basketball

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Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

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