CHICAGO (AP) — Matas Buzelis scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, Kevin Huerter added 20 points, and the Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the Orlando Magic 121-114 on Friday night for their second straight win.
Buzelis hit a pair of free throws with 22.8 seconds left to make 119-114, then pulled in his ninth rebound to send in Isaac Okoro for a game-sealing dunk with 4 seconds remaining. Buzelis also finished with a season-high seven assists.
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Chicago Bulls forward Julian Phillips (15) dunks the ball over Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain (8) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, left, shoots over Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, right, defends Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, right, shoots a 3-point basket over Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, right, gestures after making a 3-point basket over Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Ayo Dosumnu had 17 points as Chicago outscored Orlando 30-19 in the fourth quarter to climb back to .500. (17-17).
Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and Anthony Black added 18 for the Magic in a game with 19 lead changes.
Jalen Suggs had 11 points for Orlando in his second game back after missing seven with a hip injury, but left this one after landing hard and straining his right knee late in the third quarter. Desmond Bane added 14 and Wendell Carter Jr. had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Six Chicago players reached double figures as the Bulls played a second game without its top two scorers in Josh Giddey and Coby White, who were injured in a loss to Minnesota on Monday night.
The Magic have been without leading scorer Franz Wagner (22.7 point per game) since he suffered a high ankle sprain on Dec. 7.
Orlando led 95-91 heading into the fourth quarter, but Bulls took a 105-102 lead on Buzelis’ 3-pointer 4:44 into the quarter.
The Bulls pulled into 59-all tie at halftime on Huerter’s cutting layup after falling behind by 10 early and trailing by as much as 13 in the first quarter after the Magic went on a 14-0 run.
Banchero hit his first four shots and five of six to score 11 of his 13 first-half points in just over the opening 7:16.
Magic: Host Indiana on Sunday
Bulls: Host Charlotte on Saturday.
AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/nba
Chicago Bulls forward Julian Phillips (15) dunks the ball over Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain (8) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, left, shoots over Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, right, defends Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, right, shoots a 3-point basket over Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, right, gestures after making a 3-point basket over Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)
MIAMI (AP) — Send the New York Rangers outdoors, and they become unbeatable.
Mika Zibanejad had a hat trick, Artemi Panarin scored twice and the Rangers beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Friday night in the Winter Classic — the first outdoor game played in the Sunshine State.
Alexis Lafrenière had three assists and Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 shots for the Rangers, who improved to 6-0-0 in outdoor games. Zibanejad added two assists, giving him the first five-point outdoor game in NHL history.
“It’s been amazing,” Zibanejad said. “It was a great effort. Not a whole lot of shots on goal, but we got it done.”
Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, which was playing outdoors for the first time and lost for the fourth time in its last six contests overall. The Panthers gave up goals to Zibanejad and Panarin 64 seconds apart late in the first period, giving New York a 2-0 lead, and the Rangers kept control the rest of the way.
Zibanejad's third goal was an empty-netter with 1:28 left. Rangers fans tried throwing hats to no avail; the seats were too far from the ice for any of them to get even close to the playing surface.
The roof was open, as were the huge window panels behind what typically is left field at loanDepot Park — home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. There was some snow falling from the edges of the stadium, there were blasts of fire and after years of planning, there was hockey on a baseball field.
Did it work? Outdoor ice typically doesn't hold up with temperatures in the 60s, and there were some player complaints that the surface wasn't conducive to speedy play. But it worked well enough for the Rangers, who were 4-6-3 in their last 13 games coming into Friday.
The temperature of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) at game time was the second-warmest of any of the NHL's 44 outdoor games that have counted in the standings. It was 2 degrees cooler than on Feb. 27, 2016, when Detroit beat Colorado at Denver's Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.
The Rangers — with a snow effect around their walkway — were called to the ice at 8:13 p.m. The Panthers — as fire shot skyward along their path — came out about a minute later. And that's about when snowflakes began falling from the top of the stadium, as the roof continued opening.
There was another celebration before faceoff, when Rangers and Panthers players who will be part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team at the Milan Cortina Games next month were introduced. Panthers defenseman Seth Jones made the team earlier Friday, as did injured Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.
Tkachuk placed an American flag over Jones' shoulders and the crowd roared.
It was a spectacle, as expected. The Rangers showed up in all-white outfits, as if it was a beach day. The Panthers came with a “Miami Vice” theme, wearing white suits, pastel shirts and even showing up in Ferraris instead of a bus.
“If you would have asked me 25 years ago ... this might be the last place that I thought it would take place,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “So, I just think it speaks volumes for technology and its advancements and the ability to put a sheet of ice down in this type of environment.”
Rangers: Host Utah on Monday.
Panthers: Host Colorado on Sunday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Florida Panthers's Matthew Tkachuk, left, and Aleksander Barkov hold up the Stanley Cup at the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates after scoring against New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) during the third period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) and New York Rangers right wing Taylor Raddysh (14) vie for the puck during the third period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Players arrive before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Florida Panthers players walk to the ice before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) blocks a shot attempt by the New York Rangers during the first period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) watches the puck during the first period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Fireworks explode over loanDepot Park before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
New York Rangers and Florida Panthers players warm up before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Players warm up before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
