Damian Lillard’s 41 points pace Trail Blazers in 122-119 win at Orlando Magic: At the buzzer

Damian Lillard shook off a poor shooting first half to find his touch in the second half and lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a much-needed 122-119 victory Sunday at the Orlando Magic.

Lillard led all scorers with 41 points but had just 14 points in the first half while shooting 3 of 11 from the field and missing all six of his three-point attempts in addition to committing five turnovers.

Lillard rebounded with 17 points in the third quarter and added 10 in the fourth. On the night, he shot 10 of 25 from the field and made 4 of 16 threes.

While Lillard led the way, it was a three from Nassir Little that helped propel the Blazers to the win. Little, who attended Orlando Christian Prep in Orlando, Florida, hit a three with 35 seconds remaining to give the Blazers a 116-113 lead. From there, Lillard made four three throws and Jerami Grant hit two to preserve the lead and the victory at the Amway Center.

Little finished with 11 points and five rebounds off of the bench. Grant scored 20 with seven assists and six rebounds. Cam Reddish scored 16 points.

The Magic were led with 26 points from rookie Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner scored 24 points with six assists.

Orlando turned the Blazers’ 17 turnovers (five in the second half) into 23 points, but Portland held the Magic to just five second-chance points.

WHAT IT MEANS

Trail Blazers (30-34) desperately needed this win over the Magic (27-38) to avoid falling to six games under .500 and to 0-2 on this six-game trip, with much better competition ahead. Plus, the Blazers will play the second of a back-to-back Monday at Detroit in a game that will certainly challenge their energy levels.

NEXT UP

The Blazers play at 4 p.m. Monday at the Detroit Pistons (15-49).

— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts