Orlando Ties Series, Almost Like Magic

The Orlando Magic have gone from the brink of elimination to the verge of the second round.

Penny Hardaway scored 41 points and Orlando evened its first-round series with Miami at two games apiece Thursday night with a 99-91 victory over the Heat.

The Magic, blown out in the first two games of the best-of-5 matchup on the road, will return to Miami Arena for the decisive game on Sunday. The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.

Hardaway, who played the entire game, was 12 for 23 from the field and had seven rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots after scoring a playoff career-high 42 to help Orlando stave off elimination in Game 3 Tuesday night.

Derek Strong had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who played without injured starters Horace Grant and Rony Seikaly.

Alonzo Mourning led Miami with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Magic 99, Heat 91

Miami (91) - Mashburn 7-13 0-2 19, Brown 6-11 8-10 20, Mourning 9-18 5-11 23, Lenard 2-8 0-0 5, T.Hardaway 5-18 3-3 16, Askins 1-3 0-0 2, Majerle 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 33-76 16-26 91.

Orlando (99) - Anderson 1-4 0-0 2, Strong 6-9 3-5 15, Schayes 5-6 0-0 10, P.Hardaway 12-23 13-16 41, Shaw 0-2 0-0 0, Armstrong 5-11 1-1 12, Wilkins 3-10 5-6 11, Scott 3-9 0-0 8. Totals 35-74 22-28 99.

Miami 25 14 25 27 - 91 Orlando 27 26 20 26 - 99

3-Point goals-Miami 9-20 (Mashburn 5-6, T.Hardaway 3-9, Lenard 1-3, Majerle 0-2), Orlando 7-21 (P.Hardaway 4-8, Scott 2-6, Armstrong 1-4, Anderson 0-1, Wilkins 0-2). Fouled out-Mashburn. Rebounds- Miami 51 (Brown, Mourning 13), Orlando 47 (Armstrong 9). Assists-Miami 22 (T.Hardaway 8), Orlando 12 (P.Hardaway 4). Total fouls-Miami 23, Orlando 21. Technicals-Miami illegal defense, Orlando coach Adubato. A-16,555 (17,248).