Making easy shots and tough ones from everywhere, the Magic won their first game in two visits to the NBA Finals. They got 21 points apiece from Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis to post a 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Tuesday night and pull within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Orlando shot a Finals record 63 percent - including a record 75 percent in the first half - to snap a six-game losing streak in the Finals and avoid falling into an 0-3 hole that no team in postseason history has been able to escape.
Kobe Bryant, seeking a fourth title and his first since 2002, scored 31 points for the Lakers but had just 10 points in the second half and went only 4-of-15 from the field after the first quarter. He also missed five free throws, points that could have given the Lakers that 3-0 lead.
Game 4 is Thursday night, and Game 5 - now necessary - will be at Amway Arena on Sunday.
With their season 48 minutes from all but disappearing, the Magic, hosting their first Finals game since 1995, had five players score at least 18 points. Rafer Alston, who was just 3-of-17 in the first two games, had 20 points and Hedo Turkoglu and Mickael Pietrus had 18 each.
“We’ve got to play like this,” Howard said of the balanced scoring. “When guys are attacking we’re tough to guard.
“We moved the ball a lot tonight. We got some good shots. We didn’t rush anything.”
Pau Gasol scored 23 points but had just three rebounds and the Lakers were only 16-of-26 from the line.
It appeared for a while that the Magic, who shot just 36 percent while dropping Games 1 and 2 at Staples Center, couldn’t or wouldn’t miss.
From 20 feet, swish. From 10 feet, nothing but net. Layups, runners, banks, pull-ups, it didn’t matter. If it went up, more times than not it went in.
“Well, it was going in the basket. That always works,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “That formula’s always tried and true.”
Orlando made 24 of 32 shots in the first half and only cooled off a little in the third quarter, entering the fourth at a 65 percent clip and clinging to an 81-75 lead.
Bryant sat out the first 4:47 of the fourth, and when he finally subbed in, the Lakers were still down by five and unable to do anything to stop the Magic’s marksmanship.
But then, Orlando began to misfire at the worst time possible.
After Pietrus was long with a wide-open 3-pointer, Gasol was fouled at the other end and made two free throws to make it 99-all with 2:41 remaining.
But the Lakers never took the lead down the stretch.
