Lakers put Magic on brink of elimination
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 13, 2009 00:00
ORLANDO - Los Angeles Lakers moved one step closer to their 15th title thanks to Derek Fisher, whose clutch three-pointers lifted his side to a 99-91 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic Firday morning Turkish time. Lakers have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven finals series.
Magic’s Turkish forward Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu led his team with 25 points but his efforts were not enough. "It is a tough loss," Türkoğlu said after the game. "We had it but we let it slip away."
Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 32 points but Fisher's pair of threes at the end of regulation and in OT helped Lakers win. "On a championship run you will have moments where you just make big plays and tonight was one of them," Bryant said. "The guys stepped up. That is what the journey is all about. You have guys step up and make those big plays."
Trevor Ariza and Pau Gasol each added 16 points for the Lakers, who are on the brink of winning the 15th championship in franchise history after losing to Boston in six games in last year's finals. They are second all-time behind Boston's 17 titles. Fisher nailed a three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, then hit another dagger with 31 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Lakers the lead for good in front of a crowd of 17,461 at Amway Arena.
"(Jameer) Nelson gave me a lot of space and I like to step into those threes," said Fisher, who was 0-for-5 in three-point attempts before he started connecting.
On the first three-pointer, Fisher had plenty of time to run up the floor and shoot over Nelson and on the second in overtime, the Lakers tried to run a play for Bryant but he was guarded so he dished it off to Fisher. "Late in the game I kept getting the ball too far away from the basket," Bryant said. "Fish was wide open."
Dwight Howard had 16 points, 21 rebounds and nine blocked shots but committed seven turnovers for the Magic, who are in danger of having their dream season spoiled at home. The Lakers are in the finals for the 30th time while the Magic are making just their second appearance in 14 years.
Bryant said the challenge for Sunday's game five will be to stay calm and not get too excited over this victory. "It could easily be a different two days than we've had in the past," Bryant said. "But you have to stay focused. You have to try and hold on to your excitement as much as you can and just prepare."
Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 32 points but Fisher's pair of threes at the end of regulation and in OT helped Lakers win. "On a championship run you will have moments where you just make big plays and tonight was one of them," Bryant said. "The guys stepped up. That is what the journey is all about. You have guys step up and make those big plays."
Trevor Ariza and Pau Gasol each added 16 points for the Lakers, who are on the brink of winning the 15th championship in franchise history after losing to Boston in six games in last year's finals. They are second all-time behind Boston's 17 titles. Fisher nailed a three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, then hit another dagger with 31 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Lakers the lead for good in front of a crowd of 17,461 at Amway Arena.
"(Jameer) Nelson gave me a lot of space and I like to step into those threes," said Fisher, who was 0-for-5 in three-point attempts before he started connecting.
On the first three-pointer, Fisher had plenty of time to run up the floor and shoot over Nelson and on the second in overtime, the Lakers tried to run a play for Bryant but he was guarded so he dished it off to Fisher. "Late in the game I kept getting the ball too far away from the basket," Bryant said. "Fish was wide open."
Dwight Howard had 16 points, 21 rebounds and nine blocked shots but committed seven turnovers for the Magic, who are in danger of having their dream season spoiled at home. The Lakers are in the finals for the 30th time while the Magic are making just their second appearance in 14 years.
Bryant said the challenge for Sunday's game five will be to stay calm and not get too excited over this victory. "It could easily be a different two days than we've had in the past," Bryant said. "But you have to stay focused. You have to try and hold on to your excitement as much as you can and just prepare."