Nelson scored 10 of Orlando's final 12 points, including hitting one of his three 3-pointers with 35 seconds left to put the Magic up 104-103. He was good on four free throws afterward as the Magic built a five-point lead on the way to their sixth straight win.
All the Orlando starters scored in double figures, with Rashard Lewis getting 15, Hedo Turkoglu 13 and Courtney Lee 12.
Lamar Odom had 17 points for Los Angeles, and Vladimir Radmanovic had 15, all coming on his 5-of-8 shooting treys. Andrew Bynum had 14 points and three rebounds, but scored just two points after halftime and again was outplayed by Howard, who also blocked three shots.
Although they didn't match their NBA record-setting spree of 23 3-pointers they made in their last game, the Magic had a telling edge over the Lakers from beyond the arc, going 12-of-28 to Los Angeles' 9-of-26. Lewis hit four of his eight 3-point attempts and Nelson came up big at the right time, hitting all of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter after missing the three he took earlier in the game.
The Magic were coming off a 139-107 rout of Sacramento where they established the league record for 3-pointers.
Down 54-44 early in the third quarter, the Magic put together a 19-6 run to take their first lead of the game, at 63-60 on Lee's 3-pointer midway through the period. They went on to pull out to a 69-60 lead, but the Lakers came back to retake the lead at 75-74 on Pau Gasol's tip-in just before the buzzer ending the third.
While Los Angeles never trailed in the first half, the Magic kept it close. Gasol's 16-foot jumper for a 45-36 lead with 4:16 left in the second quarter was the Lakers' widest margin of the half, and they led 52-44 at the break.
Bynum had 12 points and Bryant had 10 - on 5-of-7 shooting - with seven assists by halftime. Howard led Orlando with nine points, but made only two of his eight shots from the floor. He finished 8-of-18 from the field and 9-of-16 from the line.
