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Orlando Magic Year in Review: Top 10 games of 2016

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) high fives guard Brandon Jennings (55) after a play against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 119-113. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) high fives guard Brandon Jennings (55) after a play against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 119-113. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
Feb 7, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) celebrates with teammates after hitting the game winning basket with under a second to go in the game at Amway Center. The Magic won 96-94. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

February 7, 2016

94. 125. Final. 96. 38

The Orlando Magic had a matinee on Super Bowl Sunday. The team was still recovering from that devastating January cold snap and trying to right itself. The Tobias Harris trade was still a few weeks away. Things still had a tinge of hope without the stench of desperation.

The Magic though still needed wins and to do whatever they could to get those wins. Even if it meant losing a lead late and having to scratch things out.

With the world seemingly falling apart around them — both in this specific game and everywhere else — the Magic scratched out a major win.

Orlando inbounded it to Nikola Vucevic who hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to deliver the Orlando Magic a 96-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Vucevic fell into the bench and a mass of hugs as the team celebrated the victory.

"“It feels great,” Vucevic said. “We’ve had a lot of losses and some really tough ones. Again today we had a good lead and we played well and they came back. We were able to get stops at the end. I was really happy to make that shot because I had a few plays before that where I made a couple mistakes and I wasn’t happy about those and I wanted to make up for it.”"

Vucevic scored 22 points to lead the way. Evan Fournier had 21 points and Victor Oladipo added 19 for the Magic.

It snapped a stretch of 15 losses in the team’s previous 17 games. And, paired with a second win over the Hawks the following evening, was the first win streak for the Magic since that stellar December.

Vucevic helped save the season that afternoon and made a big play that lived on from that season.