Late Lakers surge steals Magic show
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
LOS ANGELES (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 Monday.
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 seized the momentum with a 23-2 run in a stretch extending from the third to the fourth quarter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
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.
"It was the defensive effort we brought," said Gasol, who was playing his second successive game after missing six in a row with a hamstring injury.
"We didn't start the third with any intensity and they took advantage of it. We started hustling and working and played (Dwight Howard) more physically."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Howard scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half but was subdued after the break as the Magic (26-15) slid to their seventh defeat in nine game.
Orlando have looked nothing like the Eastern Conference champions of a year ago, in terms of both effort and personnel. Offseason acquisition Vince Carter has struggled with his shooting and that trend continued Monday as he managed just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.
Kobe Bryant, playing with a broken finger on his shooting hand and a sore back, scored 11 on 4-for-19 shooting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
"I think he's OK physically but he didn't practice, and sometimes when you don't practice your rhythm is off a little bit," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)