-
Pau Gasol pleads to the referee - Source: Reuters
The Los Angeles Lakers picked up where they left off in the NBA Finals last June by finishing strongly to beat the Orlando Magic 98-92 on Tuesday.
In a theme familiar from the Lakers' 4-1 championship series triumph last year, the Magic looked to be going well before a Los Angeles late surge stole the show.
Shannon Brown scored a career-high 22 points and Pau Gasol added 17 with 10 rebounds as the Lakers (32-9) grabbed the momentum with a 23-2 run in a stretch that extended from the third to fourth quarter.
Orlando shook off an early deficit and led 67-58 with 3:15 left in the third but then failed to make a field goal for more than nine minutes.
Dwight Howard scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half but was subdued thereafter as the Magic (26-15) continued to slide with their seventh defeat in the last nine contests.
