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Oladipo guides Magic past Knicks in 2 OT

Feb 22, 2014 - 5:03 AM Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Victor Olapido's re-insertion into the starting lineup paid instant dividends for the Orlando Magic, who came through with a 125-121 double-overtime victory over the New York Knicks behind the rookie's 30 points and career-high 14 assists.

Put back with the first unit following the Magic's contract buyout of Glen Davis on Friday, Oladipo scored seven points in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the second OT and narrowly missed his second NBA triple-double, finishing with nine rebounds.

"I really feel like I haven't scratched the surface of how good I'm going to be. I honestly believe that," Oladipo said.

Arron Afflalo came up big as well, recording 32 points to help the Magic overcome a 14-point third-quarter deficit as well as a 44-point outburst from Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony.

Tobias Harris contributed 22 points and eight boards to Orlando's sixth win in its last seven outings at Amway Center.

Anthony added 11 rebounds in the loss, New York's fourth in five games. Raymond Felton and Tim Hardaway Jr. each had 15 points for the Knicks, with Tyson Chandler posting 14 along with 11 rebounds.

"We couldn't put a string of defensive stops together in overtime and we lost the game," Anthony said.

The Magic trailed 81-67 just past the midway stage of the third quarter and were down by 11 late in the period when Oladipo began to take over. The young guard netted the final four points of the frame to pull Orlando within 86-79, then helped lead a 15-4 run in the fourth that sent his team ahead.

Oladipo's steal and transition dunk cut New York's lead to 96-93 with 7:41 remaining in regulation. He then delivered assists on the next two Magic baskets, E'Twaun Moore's game-tying 3-pointer and Moe Harkless' go-ahead layup with 5:28 to play.

New York answered with a 10-4 burst, which featured treys from Felton and Hardaway, to regain the upper hand with under two minutes left. The Knicks failed to score over the rest of the fourth quarter and Afflalo followed Nikola Vucevic's tip-in with a contested step-back jumper that forged a 106-106 tie with 42.9 seconds showing.

The score remained that way into the first overtime, during which neither team was ahead by more than two points. Oladipo drove the lane and scored with 1:22 left to knot the game at 113-113, and Chandler was called for offensive basket interference on a costly botched alley-oop attempt on the ensuing possession.

Orlando had a chance for the win in the final seconds, but Vucevic couldn't finish inside after receiving an Oladipo feed underneath the basket.

Afflalo had the first field goal of the second OT and assisted on Oladipo's layup for a 117-113 Magic edge with 2:23 remaining, but landed awkardly while stepping on Felton's foot on the play and limped off to the locker room.

Oladipo carried the load from there, drawing a foul while converting a clutch layup and hitting the bonus shot to give Orlando a 120-115 lead with 1:28 left. He sealed the victory shortly afterward by throwing down a thunderous baseline dunk and inducing contact once again. His subsequent free throw put New York in a 125-121 hole with 30.7 ticks on the clock.

Orlando held a 38-31 lead just over a minute into the second quarter and a 47-41 advantage midway through the period, but the Knicks went on an 8-0 run to move ahead and closed out the half with a flourish as well. Anthony netted the last six points of an 11-4 surge over the final 3 1/2 minutes that sent New York into the break up by a 60-53 count.

The Knicks, who shot 57.5 percent over the initial two quarters and received 19 first-half points from Anthony, expanded the margin midway through the third. J.R. Smith and Anthony each buried treys to ignite a 9-0 spurt that made it an 81-67 game with under five minutes to go in the stanza, New York's largest lead of the contest.

Both teams shot the ball well during a fast-paced opening quarter that ended in a 31-31 tie, with Afflalo pacing the Magic with 14 points. Orlando then began the second with a 7-0 surge, highlighted by a Harkless three he followed with a short jumper on the team's next possession.

Game Notes

The Magic snapped an eight-game series losing streak to New York, notching its first win over the Knicks since a 102-93 decision at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 16, 2012 ... Afflalo has averaged 26 points in Orlando's three meetings with New York this season ... Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire returned after sitting out Wednesday's win at New Orleans with a sore left knee and registered 10 points in 18 minutes ... Orlando outscored the Knicks by a 54-28 margin in the paint.