Final - OT
Magic hands Bulls first loss under Boylan
Dec 31, 2007 - 11:01 PM By Bruce Levine PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterCHICAGO (Ticker) - Hedo Turkoglu and the Orlando Magic made sure the Chicago Bulls are no longer unbeaten under coach Jim Boylan.
Turkoglu hit a game-winning jumper with less than two seconds left in overtime as the Magic overcame a huge game from Ben Gordon to defeat the Bulls, 110-107, on Monday for their fourth straight victory.
Boylan replaced Scott Skiles, who was fired on Christmas Eve. Assistant Pete Myers filled in for one game on December 26 vs. San Antonio before Boylan took over and won his first two games at the helm.
"It's tough to compete against a team like Orlando when they are shooting the way they were tonight," Boylan said. "We know they are a good team, but we have found the intensity we need to bring to each game in order to win."
Gordon, who scored a season-high 39 points, had knotted the score with a 3-pointer with eight seconds left in overtime. But after a timeout, Turkoglu hit a 13-foot jumper from the left side to win the game for Orlando.
"It doesn't matter if you miss the first 30 shots if you hit the one that gets you a W," Turkoglu said. "It was a rough night for me with the turnovers, that I will work on the next game."
It was the third straight game that Gordon had led the Bulls in scoring. He shot 16-of-27 from off the bench.
"The last two games I feel like I found my shot," Gordon said. "I have always felt like Ben Gordon out there, I am just shooting it better now."
Turkoglu finished with 17 points for the Magic, who got another big game from Dwight Howard. The center finished with 17 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks.
"The main thing today was to finish the year off great," Howard said. "I am just trying to do whatever I can do, to help my team win."
Chicago started out early with a quick 7-2 lead, capped off by Kirk Hinrich's 3-pointer. Joe Smith's 10-foot bank shot opened the lead to eight points at 22-14 with 4:12 left in the first quarter.
"I feel like we have played better in the last three games," Hinrich said. "They made some big shots down the stretch and we obviously made some mistakes."
Carlos Arroyo, who led Orlando with eight first-quarter points, brought the Magic back to within one point at 30-29 as the period ended.
Orlando finally pulled ahead in the second quarter, opening a 40-37 lead on Jameer Nelson's jumper with 6:56 left.
Chicago then responded with 13-4 run to take a 50-44 lead with 3:10 to play in the half, as Gordon fueled the run scoring seven points. The Bulls led, 55-48, at the half.
The Magic slowly chipped away at Chicago's lead in the third period with an 11-2 run, taking a 74-71 lead on Keith Bogans' 3-pointer with 1:47 left.
Orlando held a 77-75 advantage after three periods, then needed three free throws from Nelson in the final minute to send the game into overtime.
Bulls center Ben Wallace had scored on a put-back with 1:07 left in regulation to give Chicago a 96-93 lead.
Luol Deng added 21 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls. Andres Nocioni finished with 19 points and Joe Smith chipped in a season-high 16.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Magic. Rashard Lewis had 19 while Bogans and Arroyo each added 14. Nelson scored 22 off the bench.
"We have a great team," Nelson said. "The new year is a great opportunity to get on a roll again."
- NBA
ORLANDO 112
CHICAGO 110 FINAL IN 1ST OT
Dec 31 4:52 PM - NBA
ORLANDO 96
CHICAGO 96 END OF 4TH QTR GOING INTO OVERTIME
Dec 31 4:29 PM - NBA
ORLANDO 77
CHICAGO 75 END, 3RD QTR
Dec 31 3:51 PM - NBA
ORLANDO 48
CHICAGO 55 HALFTIME
Dec 31 3:11 PM - NBA
ORLANDO 29
CHICAGO 30 END, 1ST QTR
Dec 31 2:37 PM
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