ORLANDO, Fla. _ Terrence Ross made his Orlando Magic debut Thursday night, and it didn't take him long to start feeling the frustration his new team has endured this season.
The Magic squandered an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter and lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 112-103, at Amway Center.
Portland point guard Damian Lillard scored 17 of his game-high 33 points in the final period.
Orlando cut its deficit to 105-103 on a Nikola Vucevic basket with 1:55 remaining, but Portland's Maurice Harkless responded on the ensuing possession by making a 3-pointer from the left wing.
For long segments Thursday night, it seemed like the Magic (21-38) would rout the Trail Blazers (24-33).
Ross gave the Magic a 91-80 lead when he drained a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 9:07 to go.
But the Blazers went on a 16-4 run, culminating in a 3-pointer by Lillard, to go ahead 96-95 with 5:21 left.
Portland never trailed again.
Ross finished with 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting.
On Feb. 14, the Magic acquired Ross and a 2017 first-round pick from the Toronto Raptors for Serge Ibaka.
Ross scored his first points as a member of the Magic when he drew a three-shot foul against Allen Crabbe with 10:22 left in the second quarter. Ross made all three free throws.
Two minutes later, Ross drained his first bucket. He came off a screen, caught a pinpoint pass from Mario Hezonja and sank a 3-pointer. The trey extended Orlando's lead to 37-26.
Ross struggled with his shooting, but his passing was impressive. Midway through the second quarter, Ross drove to the hoop and dished off to Aaron Gordon, a nice decision that led directly to a Gordon dunk.
Ross made a few other smart passes in the first half, but his teammates missed short-range shots.
Hezonja, who figures to compete with Ross for playing time, played one of his best first halves of the season.
Hezonja sank all four shots he attempted, including a pair of 3-pointers. He swished his second trey of the first half from the right corner, and the shot put the Magic up 55-44.
Magic coach Frank Vogel employed a starting lineup of Elfrid Payton at point guard, Ross and Evan Fournier on the wings, Gordon at power forward and Vucevic at center. It was no accident. Vogel wants his team to play small ball for the remainder of the season, and Gordon, at 6-feet-9, qualifies as a smaller power forward than his predecessor, Ibaka.
But the smaller lineup has better shooting on the wings, with Fournier and Ross instead of Fournier and Gordon. And Gordon gives the Magic more mobility defensively and offensively at power forward than Ibaka but less long-range shooting and floor-spacing.
The Magic carried a 55-46 lead into halftime. It helped that the Blazers' star point guard, Lillard, was whistled for his third foul midway through the second quarter and sat out the remainder of the first half. Even more important: The Blazers turned the ball over 15 times during the first half, leading to 20 Magic points.
Orlando extended its lead to 71-57 on a 3-pointer by Vucevic with 7:04 to go in the third quarter.
But Portland immediately struck back. Lillard scored on a layup. C.J. McCollum sank a pair of foul shots. Former Magic point guard Shabazz Napier scored on a driving layup. And McCollum converted a missed jumper by Payton into a fast break layup.
Those eight consecutive points cut Orlando's lead to 71-65 and prompted Vogel to call a timeout.
Portland scored three more points _ extending its run to 11 straight points _ before Vucevic made a right-handed hook to cut the bleeding a bit.
The Blazers held the momentum late in the third quarter until D.J. Augustin sank a 3-pointer from 25 feet with 2.3 seconds left in the period. Augustin's heave put Orlando ahead, 85-77.
