The AP reports: Dwight Howard has played a role in winning more than a few games for the Orlando Magic in his career. On Sunday night, the Magic showed that they can win a game without him. Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points to lead four Orlando players in double figures in a 90-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Mickael Pietrus added 18 points, Rashard Lewis had 17 and Jameer Nelson 15 for Orlando, which overcame a five-point halftime deficit for its third straight road win… Gerald Wallace scored 17 points, and Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison had 14 each for the Bobcats, who led 51-47 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
Category: Orlando Magic Blog
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Nov 14: Magic 102, Mavs 100
The AP reports: “Once you’re in a funk, everything seems to go against you,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 17 of his 24 points in the first half, but hit a tying jumper and a tough go-ahead basket in the final minutes… Dwight Howard, coming off his first career triple-double, had 18 points and 13 rebounds but only two blocks. Two more swats were whistled as goaltending. Jameer Nelson scored 21 points and Mickael Pietrus had 20, including two huge 3-pointers down the stretch. Hedo Turkoglu had 12 before fouling out… Josh Howard scored 25 points and Kidd had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Kidd also had six turnovers and fouled out on the play that sent Lewis to the line for the winning points… Jason Terry scored 20 points off the bench, having been dropped to a reserve while Gerald Green moved into the starting lineup as part of Carlisle’s latest attempt to get this team going.
Dwight Howard puts up insane triple-double
Orlando magic center Dwight Howard put up an insane triple-double stat-line of 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The AP reports: It was the first time a player had at least 30 points and 10 blocks in a game since Hakeem Olajuwon had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks against Dallas on April 13, 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau… “I’m going to try to do this again,” said Howard, who set a goal of leading the NBA in rebounds and blocks this season. “It felt good, trying to block every shot. And I know Coach is very happy.”
The Orlando Sentinel reports: Howard was ridiculously dominant to start the Magic’s three-game road trip. He blocked a career-high 10 shots to pad his NBA shot-block lead, besting his previous regular-season high of seven, to record his first triple-double. He finished with 30 points and 19 rebounds, and worked on his Tim Duncan-esque bank-shot.
Nov 12: Magic 109, Thunder 92
The AP reports: Dwight Howard recorded his first career triple-double with 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks Wednesday night and the Orlando Magic beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 109-92… Howard had a highlight reel full of dunks—a two-hander off an offensive rebound, a right-handed jam off a pass from Hedo Turkoglu and another two-handed slam off an alley-oop from Anthony Johnson. He also pulled up when he was all alone on a fast break and gently laid the ball in with two hands… Jeff Green had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 13 points and Earl Watson and Desmond Mason each scored 12 for the Thunder. Mickael Pietrus and Jameer Nelson each had 17 points, Turkoglu scored 15 and Rashard Lewis added 13 for the Magic against the team he played nine seasons with before it relocated from Seattle. Nelson had a career-high 10 rebounds.
Nov 10: Blazers 106, Magic 99
The AP reports: Brandon Roy scored 27 points to lead the Blazers. Dwight Howard, battling a chest cold, had 29 points and a season-high 19 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu added 35 points for the Magic, who finished their homestand 4-1. Point guard Steve Blake and reserve Travis Outlaw had 20 apiece as Portland’s bench outscored Orlando’s 40-12… Trailing 73-72 entering the final period, Portland scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter, fueled by two 3-pointers by Rudy Fernandez. He finished with 16 points… The Magic shot only 29.2 percent from behind the arc, which Van Gundy attributed to poor ball movement… Travis Outlaw, who played 41 minutes, more than any Blazers’ starter, made 3-of-5 3-pointers.
InsideHoops.com Notes: Keith Bogans, who had 12 points, was the only Magic bench player to score.
Nov 8: Magic 106, Wizards 81
The AP reports: Dwight Howard had a season-high 31 points and 16 rebounds and also blocked three shots and had three assists to help the Orlando Magic win their fourth straight game, 106-81 over the winless Washington Wizards on Saturday night… Howard, who leads the NBA in blocked shots, hit 11 of 13 shots and nine of 14 free throws. Mickael Pietrus added 18 points for the Magic (4-2), and Keith Bogans had 13, including three 3-pointers… Nick Young had 20 points for the Wizards (0-5), the only team in the Eastern Conference without a victory this season. DeShawn Stevenson added 14 points.
Nov 6: Magic 98, Sixers 88
The AP reports: Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis scored 20 points apiece and the Orlando Magic overcame Dwight Howard’s foul trouble to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 98-88 on Thursday night. With All-Star center Howard limited to only four minutes in the first half, the Magic got strong performances from Tony Battie and Lewis, who picked up the rebounding slack as Orlando won its third straight game. Thaddeus Young scored 19 points for Philadelphia, which placed four players in double figures. The Sixers cut a 23-point deficit to six in the fourth quarter but couldn’t draw closer… Jameer Nelson had a season-high 16 points for Orlando, and Howard scored seven of his 14 points in the fourth.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Magic shot 45.1%, the Sixers just 37.9%. The Magic also got double the free throw attempts, though bricked a lot from the line. The Magic only committed 10 turnovers. Nelson had 16 points and 9 assists. Dalembert had 10 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Elton Brand had just 6 points on bad shooting, and 12 rebounds. Iguodala had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, but 5 turnovers.
JJ Redick not a baller yet
The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: The Magic aren’t expected to make any changes for tonight’s game at home against the Sixers, meaning J.J. Redick will return to a familiar spot: the bench. Redick, mired in a shooting slump, has not only been passed in the rotation by Keith Bogans, but it appears that Coach Stan Van Gundy is willing to give rookie Courtney Lee whatever minutes might be available. What that means for Redick is unclear. But it’s hard for him to get too upset after his 0-for-8 start. Bogans bided his time after an uneven preseason and has played well when the lights have come on.
Nov 3: Magic 96, Bulls 93
The AP reports: Dwight Howard had 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Magic, but he was a non-factor in the fourth quarter with only two points and one rebound. Instead, the Magic went to a two-man game with point guard Jameer Nelson and forward Hedo Turkoglu. Nelson and Turkoglu each had four of the Magic’s 19 turnovers, four coming in the final quarter… Rashard Lewis finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Drew Gooden led Chicago with 21 points. Nocioni added 20 and Gordon 17… Magic backup Keith Bogans, who’s had 13 points off the bench after play sparingly in the preseason, continued to take minutes away from J.J. Redick at the shooting guard.
Nov 1: Magic 121, Kings 103
The AP reports: Dwight Howard led the way for Orlando with 29 points and 14 rebounds, but he had plenty of help. Rashard Lewis scored 26 points, Hedo Turkoglu had 21 and Mickael Pietrus added 20 as the Magic shot 55 percent from the field in their best offensive game of the season… Sacramento, which has lost three straight games to start the season for the second year in a row, did have one thing to celebrate. Kevin Martin, who was just 7-of-29 from the field in the first two games, broke out of the slump with 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting. Martin drilled three 3-pointers, almost single-handedly keeping his team close for the first three quarters. Hawes contributed 14 points, and John Salmons and Thompson added 12 apiece for Sacramento.