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Magic take momentum back home in matchup vs. Bulls

Mar 4, 2011 - 3:57 PM (Sports Network) - A day after a thrilling comeback against a star-studded Miami team the Orlando Magic will try to dispose of another Eastern Conference heavyweight when they entertain the Central Division-leading Chicago Bulls in central Florida.

Jason Richardson drained six three-pointers to fuel the staggering comeback on Thursday as the Magic erased a 24-point deficit and held on to down the Heat, 99-96, at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami dominated the first half and held a 73-49 lead a few minutes into the third quarter. But Orlando started to chip away and used an 18-0 run, which started early in the fourth quarter, to build a multiple-possession lead. From there the Magic held on, and by the time LeBron James' potential game-tying three missed in the closing seconds, Orlando had pulled off the second-largest comeback in team history.

Richardson finished with 24 points, while Dwight Howard ended with 14 points and 18 rebounds in Orlando's fourth consecutive victory. The Magic made 16 of their 29 three-point attempts.

"It was one of those nights where the stars aligned," said Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy. "We haven't done it in a long time, but tonight we made a lot of shots and they were very conscious of trying to control Dwight."

The win also forced a split in the four-game season series between the Southeast Division rivals.

The Bulls, meanwhile, fell to 2-1 on a five-game road trip in Atlanta Wednesday when Al Horford put the Hawks ahead for the first time in the game on a slam with 29.4 seconds remaining, then assisted on Joe Johnson's dunk, as Atlanta rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat Chicago, 83-80.

Luol Deng finished with 15 points and five boards for the Bulls, who will finish their trek in Miami on Sunday. Joakim Noah donated 13 points and 12 rebounds in defeat.

"It's a tough loss," Noah said. "But our schedule doesn't get any easier. We can learn a lot from this game. It just shows you've got to play the game for 48 minutes."

Chicago had dropped its last five trips to the Magic Kingdom but managed to split a pair of games with Orlando in the Windy City this season.