Magic 83, Bulls 82
CHICAGO -- Guard Arron Afflalo scored 23 points, and the Orlando Magic survived a late-game dry spell to pull out an 83-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday at the United Center.
After trailing by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, the Bulls had a chance to tie the score, but forward Luol Deng missed a cutting layup attempt with 1.7 seconds remaining.
Orlando forward Glen Davis subsequently hit two free throws to put the Magic ahead 83-79, and Chicago forward Mike Dunleavy swished a meaningless half-court shot at the buzzer.
Deng led the Bulls with 26 points, while Dunleavy and guard D.J. Augustin added 14 points each. Davis and guard Jameer Nelson had 14 points each for the Magic.
Orlando (8-17) lost eight of its previous nine games, but it improved to 3-11 on the road this season. Chicago is now 3-10 since losing guard Derrick Rose to a knee injury.
The Magic went ahead 80-72 on a Davis jumper with 3:42 remaining. At that point, Orlando went cold and didn't score again until a free throw by Afflalo with 6.8 seconds remaining.
Chicago scored 11 of 13 points on free throws while pulling within 80-74 with 2:57 left. The Bulls missed two chances to draw closer before Augustin drained an open 3-pointer with 1:16 left after Nelson was floored by a screen set by Chicago forward Carlos Boozer.
On the Bulls' next possession, Boozer had the ball poked away by Davis for a turnover. After another defensive stop, a running bank shot from center Joakim Noah brought the Bulls within 80-79 with 19.4 seconds left.
The Bulls tried to get a steal and finally fouled Afflalo with 6.8 seconds left. He made one of two free throws, leaving the lead at two points.
On the other end, Noah caught the inbounds pass and waited for Deng to put a move on rookie guard Victor Oladipo. Deng seemed to have a clear look at the potential game-tying lay-in, but it bounced too hard off the backboard, and Davis snared the rebound.
Marquis Teague started at point guard for Chicago, while Kirk Hinrich missed his second straight game with a sore back. Coach Tom Thibodeau made a change in the second half, though, running newcomer Augustin out with the starters. Augustin played his third game with the Bulls after being released by the Toronto Raptors last week.
Teague finished with no points and no assists in 11 minutes. Augustin handed out eight assists in 37 minutes.
NOTES: Chicago released veteran PG Mike James. He became expendable when the team signed G D.J. Augustin on Friday. James, 38, played in seven games this season, averaging 0.3 points. "We just wanted to keep some flexibility as we move forward," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Mike's a great guy who did a great job for us." ... PF Glen Davis was in Orlando's starting lineup Monday, even after saying his left shoulder "popped out" when he ran into the basket support during Sunday's loss in Oklahoma City. "I've been out of basketball too long to let that boo-boo hurt me," said Davis, who missed time with a separated shoulder last season. ... Monday marked Orlando's 14th day on the road in the past 16 days. The Magic played eight road games and one home game during that span. Next up is a six-game homestand, beginning Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.
