
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Orlando Magic were determined this season to be a better team at home. Guess they figured they had that road thing already down pat.
Hard to argue -- even if it is getting harder to believe. The Magic's latest reward on the road came Tuesday night with a miracle bank shot by Hedo Turkoglu with .03 seconds left in the game, capping a furious comeback for a wild, scrapbook-saving 109-108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
No word on whether Turk called "bank," but the Blazers' fans booed. They were still upset that forward LaMarcus Aldridge's shot was waved off seconds earlier, deemed by refs to have not beaten the 24-second clock.
The Magic (17-5) trailed by eight at 108-100 with two minutes, 15 seconds remaining. It would be over for other weaker road teams who are not gifted in the ways of the 3-point shot.
Orlando made 14 of 27 3-pointers on the night, and point guard Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis made 3-pointers to set up Turkoglu's heroics. Lewis almost never got off his shot as Keith Bogans lost it before tapping it to him for the save.
By the time their visit to the Rose Garden was over, the Trail Blazers were no longer perfect at home this season, losing for the first time in eight games.
The Trail Blazers (15-8) were 7-0 at home, and their loss leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers as the NBA's only team to remain unbeaten at home.
It was the first meeting between big men Dwight Howard and Greg Oden, but it didn't amount to much -- in Oden's case. Oden, who missed all of last season after knee surgery, was no match for Orlando's all-star center. He was in foul trouble all game and finished with just two points.
Actually, Howard had a rather pedestrian night, scoring 14 points and grabbing just seven rebounds.
Lewis had 27 points, Turkoglu 24 points and Nelson 21 as Orlando shot 51 percent.
The Magic, playing the second game of their five-game West trip, were coming off a win in L.A. over the Clippers on Monday night. Orlando is 8-2 on the road.
Leading by just one point after three periods, the Magic watched as the Blazers steamed past their defense and hit shots from everywhere. Their bench outclassed the Magic's reserves 40-12 in the first meeting, and this time outscored them 45-18.
The Blazers, behind by nine points in the third period, went on a 16-7 run to lead 89-85 with just under nine minutes left. Rudy Fernandez's dunk put Portland ahead 82-81, and the Blazers never trailed until the last tick of the clock.
The Magic turned a one-point halftime lead into a quick eight-point cushion in the third period.
Bogans scored on a layup and Lewis, Nelson and Turkoglu all made successive 3-point shots for a 57-52 lead.
Orlando put on a 3-point shooting clinic, making 6-of-12 from the arc, building a nine-point lead at one point on Nelson's second trey of he period.
But the Blazers didn't shrink. Trailing 81-73, they outscored the Magic 7-0 to close to within 81-80 heading into the final quarter.
Howard and Oden got in some decent sparring early.
The Magic went right at Oden, who fouled Howard on the first possession. Howard then went to work, hitting a hook, a bank shot and two more shots over Oden for nine quick points.
Before heading for a rest after only seven minutes, Oden did snare a rebound over Howard. He ferociously dunked for the Blazers' first field goal -- and his only shot of the first period -- and he appeared just as fired up about the matchup as Howard.