The Lakeland Magic (5-9), NBA G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic, fell to the Memphis Hustle 132-130 on Tuesday at the Landers Center.
The first couple of minutes were a tight race between Lakeland and Memphis. At 7:57 the match was tied 11-11, but with 7:00 to go Lakeland managed to pull away with a slight three-point lead and set the score at 14-11. As the quarter progressed Lakeland extended its lead by as many as nine points, but before the quarter ended Memphis decreased Lakeland’s lead by five to 35-30.
The Hustle went over four minutes without scoring at one point in the second quarter. The Magic went on an 18-6 run and got a 17-point lead with a score of 53-36 at 5:27. Memphis put in their best effort and went on a 19-10 run. The Magic retained their lead 63-55 at the end of the first half.
The Magic turned up the momentum throughout the third. With six made three-point shots the Magic had a 21-point lead at the 4:58 mark. Magic guard Jay Scrubb had 16 third-quarter points on five of five shooting. Then at the 1:20 mark the Hustle went on a 20-2 run cutting the Magic lead to just three. Heading into the fourth Lakeland led the game 99-94.
The fourth quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle between both teams. Despite the Magic lead at the beginning of the quarter, the Hustle turned things around and tied the game 107-107 with 7:21 remaining. The Magic quickly regained the lead. It was not until the clock read 3:48 that the Hustle took their first lead since early in the first quarter. The back and forth continued between the two teams, capped off with a clutch shot from Xavier Tillman sending the game into overtime. Despite the back-and-forth battle between both teams, Memphis pulled away with a 132-130 victory in overtime.
Xavier Tillman finished the game with a double-double adding 29 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists.
Jay Scrubb recorded a new career-high 42 points and five assists.
The Lakeland Magic (5-9) will face the Birmingham Squadron on Thursday, December 15 at the RP Funding Center at 10:00 AM on Bally Sports Florida.