LAKELAND, Fla. — The Lakeland Magic (26-22), the NBA G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic, defeated the Long Island Nets (26-22), 120-118 with an close win in front of a home crowd at the RP Funding Center.
The matchup was neck and neck with a total of 31 lead changes over the course of the game. The Magic were down 68-64 going into the half but came out fighting in the second half outscoring the Nets 27-24 in the third quarter and 29-26 in the forth. Jamel Artis hit a big layup drawing the foul with 27.2 seconds left in the game to gain the lead 118-116. The Nets fought back to tie it 118-118 with just a few seconds remaining. Alan Anderson drew the foul with 1.0 second remaining and made both shots from the line giving the Magic the 120-118 lead and ultimately held on for the win.
Assignment Player Rodney Purvis had 20 points on the night. Jamel Artis had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists. TJ Price had 19 points and 3 assists. Byron Mullens posted a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
For the Nets, Isaiah Whitehead had an impressive 41 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Jeremy Senglin came off the bench to score 20 points and 5 rebounds. Shannon Scott scored 17 points and 9 rebounds.
The Magic have back to back games to finish up the regular season playing their next game at home against the Delaware 87ers on Friday, March 23, at 7:00 p.m. The game can be seen on Facebook Live. The Long Island Nets continue their road trip and take on the Maine Red Claws on Thursday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m.