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ORLANDO, Fla. – Kobe Bryant is one win from an NBA title to call his own.
Derek Fisher got him there.
Fisher forced overtime with a three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in regulation and then drilled another one with 31.3 seconds to go in overtime as the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Orlando Magic 99-91 in Game 4 on Thursday night to open a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
It was the first time since 1984, when Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Celtics hooked up, that two games in a finals have gone to overtime.
When the clock expired, Bryant, trying to win his first championship without Shaquille O’Neal, looked at Tiger Woods and wiped sweat from his brow in relief. Fisher, who has bailed out the Lakers in plenty of big games before, thrust both arms in the air in triumph.
The Lakers can wrap up their 15th title on Sunday night in Game 5.
After Fisher tied the game in regulation, Mickael Pietrus of the Magic missed a jumper as time expired.
Orlando was up 87-82 with less than a minute to play but couldn’t put it away at the free throw line. Pau Gasol’s basket cut it to two before Fisher’s tying three – his first from behind the arc after missing his first five attempts.
Dwight Howard had 15 points, 21 rebounds and an NBA Finals-record nine blocked shots, but his 5-of-12 shooting at the free-throw line was a major reason the game went to overtime.
The Magic led 49-37 at halftime, but the Lakers pulled ahead by outscoring Orlando 30-14 in the third quarter, and it remained close.
Bryant scored 28 points in regulation, while Hedo Turkoglu had 25 for Orlando.
Seeking to tie the series and guarantee a trip back to Los Angeles, the Magic built their first double-digit lead of the series late in the half.
The Lakers were unable to sustain any rhythm early because of the foul trouble and shot only 33 percent from the field (14 of 42) in the first half. They missed 9 of 10 attempts from three-point range.
Starting center Andrew Bynum and sixth man Lamar Odom both spent the final minutes of the half on the bench with three fouls.
The Magic could have built a much bigger lead but went only 10 of 16 (62.5 percent) from the free-throw line, with Howard going only 2 of 7.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson and forward Trevor Ariza were hit with technicals after foul calls, with Jackson saying there were some “bogus” fouls called during his interview with ABC between quarters.
The Lakers easily won the opener and pulled out an overtime victory in Game 2 before the Magic won Game 3 108-104, the first finals victory in franchise history.
Orlando, trying to become only the fourth team to overcome a 2-0 deficit to win the finals, set a finals record by shooting 63 percent in Game 3 and was above 50 percent for most of the first half Thursday, finishing 18 of 37 (48.6 percent).
Bynum picked up two fouls in the first 3-plus minutes, and Gasol had his second with 3:44 remaining in the opening period.
Rashard Lewis’ only field goal of the first half, a three-pointer, pushed Orlando’s lead to 37-27 with 7:40 to play in the second.
