Super Bowl Sunday be damned. Nikola Vucevic and the Orlando Magic weren’t about to be overshadowed by the big game. So with their afternoon matinee against the Atlanta Hawks tied at 94-94 in the closing seconds, Orlando went straight to their prized big man, who delivered the knockout blow with a difficult turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give his team the two-point win. The shot rescued Orlando from nearly blowing an eight-point lead by going scoreless for more than three-and-half minutes down the stretch.
It was eerily similar to his previous game-winner earlier this season when he made an almost identical turnaround fade-away from the same spot to beat the Lakers. Vucevic finished with 22 points and nine rebounds on efficient 11-of-19 shooting and was a game-high plus-14 for the day. He was one of five Orlando players in double figures. Evan Fournier chipped in 21 points on 50 percent from the field, while Victor Oladipo added 19 for the Magic, who are just 3-15 since the New Year.
Jeff Teague led the way for the Hawks in a losing effort with 24 points and five assists, while Kent Bazemore contributed 23. Like Orlando, Atlanta had five players in double-digit scoring, but got pounded in the paint by the Magic 42-28.
