Magic shoot finals-record 75 percent, lead Lakers 59-54 at halftime of Game 3

Magic shoot 75 percent in half, lead 59-54

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rashard Lewis made two 3-pointers late in the second quarter, and the Orlando Magic shot an NBA finals-record 75 percent from the field in the first half to take a 59-54 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Seeking the first finals victory in franchise history, the Magic withstood 21 points from Kobe Bryant by making 24 of 32 shots.

Rafer Alston scored 13 points and Hedo Turkoglu had 12 for Orlando, which dropped the first two games in Los Angeles to fall to 0-6 all-time in the finals. Lewis and Dwight Howard added 10 points each.

Bryant scored only four points in the second quarter, but the Lakers’ bigger problem was their defense. They were trailing despite shooting 54 percent (22 for 41).

Fans were decked out in blue and white — though Spike Lee was sporting a neon green shirt — for the first finals game in Central Florida since 1995. He was sitting a few seats down from Tiger Woods, a regular at Magic games who grew up a Lakers fan in California.

No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs, and the Magic were hoping to avoid that hole. Looking for some luck, they turned to 7-year-old Gina Marie Incandela to sing the national anthem. Orlando entered 5-0 in the playoffs — 6-0 on the season — in games when she sang.

Orlando recovered from an early deficit to grab the lead midway through the first quarter, but Bryant took over from there. He scored 17 of the Lakers’ final 19 points, including a tiebreaking four-point play that made it 31-27 with 30 seconds remaining.

The Magic trailed much of the second quarter despite their sizzling shooting. They made 16 of their first 21 shots, yet were still down 41-39 at that point. They eventually grabbed a 54-52 lead on Lewis’ 3-pointer, and he added another that made it 57-54.

Game 4 is Thursday night, and the Magic would host Game 5 on Sunday if it’s necessary.

The Lakers won the opener by 25 points, then pulled out a 101-96 victory in Game 2 after the Magic’s Courtney Lee missed a layup on a lob pass as time expired to end regulation. On Tuesday, Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said Pau Gasol of the Lakers should have been called for basket interference because his hand touched the net and his fingers grazed the rim.

The NBA said the call on the court was correct and there was no goaltending.