National Basketball Association
Orlando 105, Chicago 103
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials:
#14 Ed Malloy, #31 Scott Wall, #68 Marat Kogut
Attendance:
18249
By The Sports Xchange
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Guard Victor Oladipo hit a layup with 1.5 seconds remaining to give the Orlando Magic a 105-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, spoiling the much anticipated return of All-Star Derrick Rose.
Rose, who missed 20 games after right knee surgery, had little impact for the Bulls and did not play in the fourth period. He finished with nine points in 19 minutes.
Oladipo led everyone with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Center Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and seven rebounds. The Magic (25-43) won their third consecutive game, tying their longest winning streak this season.
Guard Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds. Forward Pau Gasol had 15 points and nine rebounds. Reserve forward Taj Gibson had 15 points and seven rebounds. Rookie forward Nikola Mirotic had 15 points, and guard Aaron Brooks, who lost his starting spot to Rose, had 13 points.
Magic rookie point guard Elfrid Payton had 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Reserve forward Andrew Nicholson had nine points. Reserve guard Evan Fournier had 11 points.
Oladipo hit a 3-pointer to give the Magic their first lead of the fourth quarter, 101-99, with 1:30 remaining. Fournier had tied the game at 96 with a jumper.
Gasol tied the game at 101, but Magic rookie forward Aaron Gordon scored to give Orlando a 103-101 lead.
Gasol tied the game at 103 with a pair of free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining. After a time-out, Oladipo drove the lane and scored the winning basket.
The Magic made 21 of 24 free throws. The Bulls made 23 of 31.
The Magic led 68-67 -- their first lead since the opening two minutes -- after scoring six consecutive points early in the third quarter. The lead changed hands nine more times in the period.
The Bulls, though, closed the third by scoring the last nine points, taking a 87-79 lead into the fourth. Vucevic scored 10 in the third, which keyed the Magic rally.
The Bulls had dominated the first half by hitting nine of 18 shots from 3-point range. They led, 59-52, at intermission, but led by as many as 15 points in the second period.
The Magic were balanced early with Vucevic, Payton and Oladipo each having 10 points at halftime. The Magic also held an early 26-18 rebound advantage.
Butler and Gibson each had 11 points by halftime. Rose had seven points and made two of his six shots in 13 first-half minutes.
Rose had started strong, hitting a 3-pointer from the corner for the 5-2 lead. He hit a pull-up jumper for the 11-8 lead. He missed his next three shots.
NOTES: The Bulls went 9-11 during the latest absence of G Derrick Rose, who returned Wednesday from right knee surgery on Feb. 27. It was his third knee rehabilitation in the past 34 months. He received a round of applause from the Orlando crowd when he was introduced during pregame. ... Also returning Wednesday was Chicago G Kirk Hinrich, who missed the previous two games with a hyperextended left knee. In the second quarter, he hit a 3-pointer on his first shot. ... The Magic were without reserve PG Luke Ridnour (personal reasons) and Willie Green (hyperextended knee), but G Evan Fournier (sore hip) returned after missing 17 games. ... Magic coach James Borrego will be part of an NBA group participating in the first basketball development camp in Havana, Cuba, from April 23-26. Also part of the group are former players Steve Nash and Dikembe Mutombo.
Top Game Performances
Chicago |
|
Orlando |
Jimmy Butler 19 |
Scoring |
Victor Oladipo 23 |
Jimmy Butler 6 |
Assists |
Elfrid Payton 9 |
Joakim Noah 11 |
Rebounds |
Dewayne Dedmon 11 |
Pau Gasol 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Tobias Harris 4 |
Aaron Brooks 2 |
Steals |
Victor Oladipo 3 |
Pau Gasol 3 |
Blocks |
Dewayne Dedmon 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Chicago
|
103 |
43.0 |
12-26 |
23-31 |
25 |
41 |
4 |
9 |
17 |
Orlando
|
105 |
46.3 |
8-23 |
21-24 |
21 |
44 |
3 |
8 |
15 |
Upcoming Games
-
Orlando will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Magic have a W/L % of .417 after a win and .278 after a loss.
-
Chicago will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Bulls have a W/L % of .522 after a win and .688 after a loss.