Orlando, FL——Cole Anthony drove to the basket for a layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, sealing the Orlando Magic’s dramatic 102-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. The Magic erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull off their second major comeback in eight days.
Cam Thomas missed a corner jumper at the buzzer, falling short in Brooklyn’s attempt to reclaim the lead.
Anthony contributed 10 points, while Tristan da Silva tallied 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead Orlando’s charge. Goga Bitadze chipped in 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. The Magic had trailed 71-50 midway through the third quarter before mounting their rally.
This comeback followed Orlando’s 25-point comeback win over the Miami Heat on Dec. 21.
Thomas, playing in his first game since Nov. 25 due to a strained left hamstring, led the Nets with 25 points off the bench. Jalen Wilson added 16 points, including a pair of free throws with 6.2 seconds left to briefly give Brooklyn the lead.
Takeaways
Nets:
The Nets have now lost seven of their last nine games. Sunday’s contest marked their first without Dorian Finney-Smith, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the day. Across their four matchups with the Magic this season, Brooklyn used 11 different starters. Only Cam Johnson started all four games.
Magic:
Orlando completed a season sweep of Brooklyn with Sunday’s win, finishing 4-0 in their series. The Magic also concluded their holiday home stretch with a 3-4 record, securing wins by overcoming double-digit deficits against Miami, Boston, and Brooklyn.
Key Moment:
Anthony, who sat out the first half, sparked a 13-0 Magic run with a critical 3-pointer after Orlando had fallen behind by 20 points.
Key Stat:
The Nets shot 13-of-30 (43.3%) from beyond the arc.
Up Next:
The Nets travel to Toronto, while the Magic head to Detroit for Wednesday night matchups.
