Field Level Media
Jan 16, 2020
Markelle Fultz amassed 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the visiting Orlando Magic ended the Los Angeles Lakers' nine-game winning streak with a 119-118 victory on Wednesday night.
The triple-double was the second of Fultz's career. The other came on April 11, 2018, for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Aaron Gordon also scored 21 points for the Magic. Wes Iwundu scored a career-high 19 points, Nikola Vucevic also had 19, and Terrence Ross had 15 off the bench for Orlando.
Quinn Cook led the Lakers with 22 points while LeBron James finished with 19 points and 19 of the Lakers' 34 assists. Troy Daniels and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 17 points apiece. JaVale McGee had 14 points and nine rebounds while Dwight Howard had a game-high 16 boards.
The Magic prevailed without guard Evan Fournier, the team's leading scorer at 19.2 points per game. He missed the contest due to a right quad contusion.
Vucevic drilled a 3-pointer for a 114-110 lead with 55.9 seconds left. McGee's dunk cut the deficit to two with 50.7 seconds remaining, but Fultz scored inside with 38.6 left for 116-112 lead.
After James hit a 3-pointer, Fultz scored inside again for a 118-115 lead with 15.4 seconds left.
James missed a 3-point attempt with five seconds left before Gordon sealed the win with a free throw with 1.7 seconds remaining. Cook hit a 3-pointer near the final horn to cap the scoring.
Los Angeles forward Anthony Davis missed his fourth consecutive game with a bruised tailbone. The Lakers also played without reserve point guard Rajon Rondo, who missed his second straight contest with a fracture in his right ring finger.
The Magic produced a 22-8 run to open the third quarter for an 87-66 advantage with 6:41 remaining. But the Lakers roared back with a 22-2 run to slice the margin to 89-88 heading into the fourth.
The Magic led by as much as 20 in the first half. However, a 18-6 surge by the Lakers, which included a four-point play by Troy Daniels to cap the first-half scoring, allowed them to close the gap to 65-58 at the break.
Lakers reserve guard Alex Caruso left the game late in the first quarter after taking an elbow to the face. He did not return.
--Field Level Media