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Bullock saved the Knicks from completely
collapsing after they blew a 16-point, third-quarter lead and
trailed by five points twice in the fourth. The Knicks held a
94-90 lead after Alec Burks hit a floater in the lane with 31.5
seconds left but Orlando drew within 94-93 on Evan Fournier's
3-pointer with 27.6 seconds left.
The Knicks had a chance to clinch the win but Bullock got tied
up by Fournier and lost a jump ball with 19.5 seconds left.
After Orlando called a timeout, Aaron Gordon inbounded to
Fournier, who moved around a screen by Nikola Vucevic but
Bullock trailed Fournier and came up with the clutch steal
beyond the 3-point line.
Burks led the Knicks with 21 points and also added 10 assists.
Julius Randle posted his third triple-double of the season with
18 points, a career-high 17 assists and 10 rebounds as the
Knicks shot 43 percent and bounced back from close losses to
Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
Fournier scored 23 points for Orlando, which lost its ninth
straight game. Gordon and Vucevic added 17 apiece for the Magic,
who shot 42.7 percent
After allowing the game's first five points, the Magic took a
20-10 lead on Fournier's one-legged 3-pointer with 5:50 left in
the first quarter. New York outscored Orlando 14-6 the rest of
the frame to get within 26-24 after 12 minutes, before taking a
45-44 lead by intermission.
Randle's 3-pointer put New York up 72-56 with 1:59 left in the
third but Orlando scored the final 10 points of the quarter and
got within 72-66 after Khem Birch hit a bank shot with one
second left. Orlando regained the lead when Fournier's 3-pointer
made it 75-74 with 9:54 left in the fourth.
Orlando took its second five-point lead of the fourth at 87-82
on Vucevic's 14-footer with 5:15 left but the Knicks took an
88-87 lead on Frank Ntilikina's 3-pointer with 3:49 remaining.
Randle then hit two jumpers to give the Knicks a 92-87 edge with
2:39 left.
Orlando had a chance to retake the lead when Bullock missed a
3-pointer with 56.4 seconds left in the third but Dwayne Bacon
missed a wide-open 3-pointer with 44.7 seconds to go.
--Field Level Media
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