Paolo Banchero scored 17 points, capped by the game-winning floater with 1.4 seconds left, and Goga Bitadze notched 15 points and 11 rebounds to lift the visiting Orlando Magic past the Chicago Bulls 96-94 on Wednesday.
Slow-starting Chicago challenged Orlando down the stretch, whittling a 19-point, third-quarter deficit to two on a Zach LaVine 3-pointer with 17 seconds left and tying the game on another LaVine trey with 7.5 seconds to go.
Magic rookie Anthony Black split a pair of free throws prior to the second of the two late LaVine 3-pointers.
Chicago ultimately left Orlando and Banchero too much time on the clock.
Following Banchero’s basket, the Bulls didn’t get a shot off on the ensuing inbounds play, as Patrick Williams took too many dribbles.
Cole Anthony (16 points), Franz Wagner (13) and Jalen Suggs (10) also finished in double figures for the Magic, who had lost three of their previous four games.
LaVine scored 11 of his 19 game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter. Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who got 16 points from Alex Caruso and 11 from Torrey Craig. Andre Drummond added nine points and 14 rebounds as Chicago lost for the sixth time in eight games.
The Magic and Bulls combined on 17-for-61 3-point shooting (27.9 percent). Chicago committed a season-high 19 turnovers and shot 39.8 percent from the field compared to 39 percent for Orlando.
The teams were tied after one quarter before Orlando opened the second on a 12-0 run. The Bulls endured a field-goal drought of five-plus minutes in the third quarter but closed on a 15-5 run to pull within nine points.
Bulls second-leading scorer DeMar DeRozan missed the game for personal reasons. Caruso returned from a two-game absence caused by a strained left toe.
Markelle Fultz (left knee tendinitis) missed his third straight game for the Magic.
Vucevic and Williams had nine rebounds each for the Bulls. Banchero added nine boards for the Magic.
Chicago trailed 50-33 at the break after shooting 26.8 percent from the field, including 14.3 percent from long range, to go with 13 turnovers.
Wednesday marked the Bulls’ lowest-scoring first half since Chicago also had 33 points on Jan. 23, 2021, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Orlando won for the third straight visit to Chicago.
–Field Level Media
