Day: March 28, 2009

Magic beat Bucks to keep pace for East’s 2nd seed

The AP reports: The Orlando Magic are showing few signs of slowing down. Rashard Lewis scored 19 points, Hedo Turkoglu added 18 and the surging Magic beat the Milwaukee Bucks 110-94 on Friday night. Dwight Howard added 18 points and eight rebounds in another strong defensive effort for Orlando, which held Milwaukee to 39.1 percent shooting. The Magic (54-18) have won five straight and 12 of their last 14 to stay percentage points ahead of Boston for the Eastern Conference’s second seed. “We’re just trying to find that rhythm that you can stay in,” Magic point guard Rafer Alston said. “It’s all about finding that groove going into the playoffs.”

Bosh, Marion lead Raptors past Thunder

The AP reports: The Toronto Raptors put this one away early. Chris Bosh had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Shawn Marion added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Raptors opened up a big lead in the first quarter before cruising to a 112-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. “Everybody was on the same page,” Marion said of Toronto’s 17-2 scoring surge. “We got stops when we needed to, everybody was stepping up and it just started clicking.” The Raptors, who led by as many as 25, avenged a 91-83 road loss to the 2-24 Thunder on Dec. 19. Bosh called it “a good win,” but said he wasn’t motivated by revenge.

Diaw’s 24 points lead Charlotte past Philly

The AP reports: Desperate to remain in playoff contention, Boris Diaw and the Charlotte Bobcats came up big against the Philadelphia 76ers. Diaw scored 24 points and Ray Felton added 20 points for the Bobcats, who won 100-95 on Friday night and moved within 2 1/2 games of idle Detroit for the eighth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. “We did a tremendous job in the first half,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “The rebounding and shooting is what kept is in it. We did a great job on the boards. Winning on the road, against a quality team, is a real good win for us.” The Sixers, who have been outrebounded by 10 in four of the last 21 games, were led by Andre Iguodala with 25 points.