NBA Finals Scores Game 3: Orlando Magic Hold Off Los Angeles Lakers to Climb Back into Series

Dwight Howard scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Rashard Lewis added 21 points and dished out 5 assists and Hedo Turkoglu finished with 18 points, 6 boards and 7 dimes as the Orlando Magic managed to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers 108-104 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals and pull to within a 2-1 margin in their best-of-seven series.

For the Magic Tuesday night’s win wasn’t only their first in the 2009 NBA Finals but their first in franchise history and it couldn’t have come at a better time. After blowing a chance to sneak out of LA even at a game apiece Orlando was in desperate need of a strong performance and the team responded as they set an NBA Finals record in the first half hitting 24 of 32 shots from the floor for a 75 percent clip.

While that record performance was impressive it didn’t exactly give them much breathing room as they carried a 59-54 lead into the break. Once again the Lakers relied on Kobe Bryant and their star responded as he kept LA in the game with 21 points in the opening half.

Orlando’s hot shooting carried over into the second half and they managed to build a nine point lead with seven minutes left in the game but then their offense froze and the Lakers looked to take advantage. When Pau Gasol sank a pair of free-throws with 2:41 left in the game the Magic’s lead had evaporated and the score was knotted at 99-99. While they let their lead slip away the Magic wouldn’t just fold and a huge put back from Mickael Pietrus and a long jumper from Lewis had them up 104-101. Kobe had had chance to pull the Lakers to within one but he split from the line to make it 104-102.

Things appeared to turn in LA’s favor after Lewis missed a jumper and Kobe had the ball in his hands looking to even the game but after trying to dribble through traffic Dwight Howard managed to tip the ball away and it eventually ended up in the hands of Pietrus who was then fouled by Kobe. Pietru ssank both free-throws to push the lead to four in the closing seconds and LA had no more answers.

Orlando shot an NBA Finals record 63 percent from the floor in the game despite hitting just 5-14 from beyond the three-point line. Los Angeles let the game slip away from the foul-line as they finished 16-26 from the stripe with Kobe Bryant an uncharacteristic 5-10

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