Orlando Magic Blog – Page 80 – NBA Blog

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.

Oct 31: Grizzlies 86, Magic 84

The AP reports: Rudy Gay, the third-year pro, hit an 18-foot jumper right of the basket as time expired to give the Memphis Grizzlies an 86-84 win over the Orlando Magic… It gave Gay 29 points to lead the Grizzlies to their first win in a home opener since moving to Memphis in the 2001-02 season. Gay scored 14 of Memphis’ 25 points in the fourth-quarter rally. Rookie O.J. Mayo scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds for Memphis, while Gasol scored 10 points and guarded the Magic’s Dwight Howard… Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 23 points, while Hedo Turkoglu finished with 18, nine rebounds and seven assists. Howard had 14 points and 14 rebounds, but managed only nine shots. Jameer Nelson had 11 points.

Oct 29: Hawks 99, Magic 85

The AP reports: The Hawks surged to an early lead and held off the Magic in the fourth quarter Wednesday for a 99-85 win in the season opener for both teams. Joe Johnson scored nine of his game-high 25 points in the fourth and the Hawks handed Orlando only its second loss in its last nine home openers. Atlanta won its first road opener since 1987. Josh Smith, playing on a sprained ankle, chipped in 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks. Dwight Howard scored 12 of his 22 points in the final quarter and added 15 rebounds to lead Orlando… Mickael Pietrus had 20 points, more than double his preseason average. .. Rashard Lewis fouled out with 11 points and Hedo Turkoglu scored 13.

NBA opening night rosters

The NBA’s opening day rosters are official, and now posted on InsideHoops.com.

This evening was the deadline for NBA teams to trim their rosters down to 15 players or less.

The 2008-09 regular season starts Tuesday, October 28. InsideHoops is your online basketball home. We’re pumping out more content this season than ever.

Enjoy the season!

Magic waive Dwayne Jones

The Orlando Magic have waived Dwayne Jones, General Manager Otis Smith announced today. Jones appeared in three preseason games for the Magic, averaging 1.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.

Orlando’s roster now stands at 15 players and is set for the beginning of the 2008-09 regular season. The Magic open the season on Wednesday, October 29 at Amway Arena against Atlanta. Tip-off is 7 p.m.

The Magic have four new exciting ticket packages: A seven-game package for the price of six with either Boston or the L.A. Lakers as the free game; the “Stuff Yourself” all-you-can-eat ticket; the Half Howard featuring a post-game autograph session with Dwight Howard; and the 1989 season ticket plan for $585 (50 percent off). Ticket highlights for 2008-09 also include: 7,569 seats priced $25 or under per game; a $27 lower bowl ticket; and tickets priced at $10 per game.