Hedo Turkoglu scores 15 points, Magic lead Lakers 49-37 at halftime of Game 4 of NBA finals

Magic lead Lakers 49-37 at halftime of Game 4

ORLANDO, Fla. — Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 points, Dwight Howard grabbed 14 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic took a 49-37 halftime lead over the frustrated and foul-plagued Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA finals on Thursday night.

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. Howard had as many rebounds as all the Lakers combined and blocked five shots.

Kobe Bryant scored 16 points, but the Lakers were unable to sustain any rhythm because of the foul trouble and shot only 33 percent from the field (14 of 42). They missed nine of 10 attempts from 3-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 half Thursday, finishing 18 of 37 (48.6 percent).

Bynum picked up two fouls in the first 3-plus minutes, and Pau Gasol had his second with 3:44 remaining in the opening period, forcing the Lakers to turn to DJ Mbenga to defend Howard. Odom was called for his second about a minute after Gasol.

The fouls forced the Lakers to use their entire bench in the first quarter and created some strange combinations, such as Mbenga and Josh Powell playing together to end the quarter. The Lakers shot only 35 percent in the first quarter, with Bryant making four of their seven field goals.

Rashard Lewis’ only field goal of the half, a 3-pointer, pushed Orlando’s lead to 37-27 with 7:40 to play in the second. The Lakers never got closer than seven from there, with Orlando pushing it to 12 three times.

Game 5 is Sunday night, and Game 6 would be in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.