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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't let the Los Angeles Lakers lose.
|  | | Shaquille O'Neal was again dominant, with 39 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. |
The All-Star center's steal and dunk tied the score in the
closing seconds of regulation, then his seven points in overtime
propelled the NBA's best road team to a 107-99 victory over the
Orlando Magic on Friday night.
O'Neal went 15-for-22 from the field and was 9-for-13 from the
foul line to finish with 39 points. He also grabbed 16 rebounds, had five assists and
blocked three shots against his former team, which led 88-86 before
the NBA's second-leading scorer made the defensive play of the
night to send the game into overtime.
"My new nickname is the Big Felon because of my stealing
ability," O'Neal said. "It was a sweet moment because we threw
the ball away two times in a row. Luckily, I got the steal and we
won it in overtime."
The victory was the sixth straight for Los Angeles, which
improved the NBA's best road record to 17-7. Orlando, which had won
nine of 11 to pull within one game of .500 for the first time in
six weeks, had its winning streak stopped at five.
Magic coach Doc Rivers thought his team deserved a better fate
after spending much of the last three quarters fighting back from
an 11-point deficit.
Glen Rice had 26 points for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant was limited
to 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting.
Darrell Armstrong led Orlando with 24 points, Michael Doleac had
16 and Pat Garrity 13.
"They played so hard, and you just wanted them to win the game
and not have a moral victory. We had the moral victory with six
minutes left (in regulation)," Rivers said. "But you have to play
48 minutes. It came down to bad execution of one play."
The Lakers turned the ball over twice in the final minute of
regulation before O'Neal knocked away Ron Mercer's inbounds pass intended for Doleac near midcourt, chased down the loose ball and scored on a dunk to tie the game at 88 with 14.5 seconds remaining.
Doleac's shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer, sending it into
overtime.
"I knew the other guys were going to pressure, and (Orlando)
probably figured I wasn't going to pressure," O'Neal said of the
steal. "I knew he was going to throw it and I went for it. I
knocked it loose and just ran it down."
O'Neal's three-point play gave the Lakers a 93-92 lead, and his turnaround jumpers on consecutive possessions put Los Angeles ahead for good midway through the extra period.
The Lakers showed no adverse effects from playing for the third
time in four nights, shooting 60 percent in the opening quarter en
route to a 53-46 halftime lead. O'Neal led the way with 22 points,
making 9-of-14 from the field and 4-for-6 from the foul line.
The Magic did a better job defensively against him in the third
quarter, using double teams to force him to look for open
teammates. O'Neal took only two shots in the period, scoring three
points, and the Lakers led 68-66 going into the fourth quarter.
Orlando pulled even for the first time since midway through the
first quarter when Pat Garrity's 3-pointer made it 86-86 with 45
seconds left in regulation. Armstrong's layup gave the Magic their
first lead since 10-9 before O'Neal regained control of the game.
Game notes
The sellout crowd of 17,248 was only the second in 26 homes
games for the Magic. The Lakers are the NBA's highest-drawing team
on the road, playing before sellouts in their last 15 stops at
opposing arenas. ... Los Angeles is 16-2 against Eastern Conference
teams, including a 7-1 mark on the road. ... O'Neal, who has 41
double-doubles in 50 games, is 62-of-91 from the foul line in his
last seven games ... O'Neal averaged 33 points and 13 rebounds in
two victories over Orlando this season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Orlando Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 104
Cleveland 75
Denver 95
Toronto 91
Charlotte 115
LA Clippers 87
New Jersey 91
Miami 84
LA Lakers 107
Orlando 99
Minnesota 103
Vancouver 91
San Antonio 116
Houston 92
Phoenix 85
Atlanta 73
Portland 93
Washington 85
Golden State 122
Boston 100
Sacramento 118
Seattle 85
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