The AP reports: Dwight Howard had 32 points and 17 rebounds, and the Magic withstood a career-high 50 points by Dwyane Wade to rout the Miami Heat 122-99 on Sunday… Hedo Turkoglu had 20 points and Rafer Alston added 12 points and nine assists for the Magic, who have won 12 of the past 15 games against their Sunshine State rival… Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon were smothered, combining for just 13 points as the Magic overpowered Miami’s big men to win the rebounding battle 53-28.
Artest scores 26, Rockets beat Bobcats 99-78
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets know who they have—and won’t have—for the rest of the season, so now they can finally focus only on winning games. Ron Artest scored 26 points, Yao Ming added 19 points and seven rebounds and the Rockets continued to win without Tracy McGrady, beating the Charlotte Bobcats 99-78 on Sunday. Luis Scola had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Shane Battier sank three 3-pointers for the Rockets, who’ve won four straight games and eight of the last nine McGrady has missed with a sore left knee… Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw and Emeka Okafor scored 13 points apiece for the Bobcats, who shot 36 percent from the field and had more turnovers (21) than assists (15) for the second straight game. Charlotte’s 21 turnovers were one shy of a season high.
Villanueva scores 36, Bucks beat Nuggets 120-117
The AP reports: Charlie Villanueva knew he was in a groove when his shot from beyond midcourt was good. It was one of those nights for Villanueva, who scored nine of his season-high 36 points in the fourth quarter to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Denver Nuggets 120-117 on Sunday… Ramon Sessions added 16 of his 27 points in the first half for the Bucks… Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points and Chauncey Billups added 21 for the Nuggets, who ended a season-high eight-game road trip with a 5-3 mark. Denver plays its first game at home since February 3 on Monday against the Boston Celtics.
Rondo goes nuts, Celtics beat Suns 128-108
The AP reports: Rajon Rondo was off and running, and Kevin Garnett was hardly missed. Rondo scored a career-high 32 points to go with 10 assists on his 23rd birthday in Boston’s 128-108 victory over the Suns on Sunday… Ray Allen scored 31 and Pierce 26 in Boston’s first game since Garnett went down with a strained muscle in his right knee that is expected to sidelined him for at least two weeks… Jason Richardson scored 21 for the Suns in their first loss in four games under new coach Alvin Gentry. Steve Nash added 19 points and 11 assists. Leandro Barbosa scored 18 and Shaquille O’Neal 17 for Phoenix.
Bargnani 28 and 10, Raptors beat Knicks 111-100
The AP reports: Anthony Parker and the Toronto Raptors didn’t have to wait very long to avenge an ugly loss at Madison Square Garden. Andrea Bargnani had 28 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday to help Toronto beat New York 111-100 two days after absorbing a 30-point loss against the Knicks… Each of Toronto’s starters reached double figures and four of the five had double-doubles. Shawn Marion had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Bosh added 11 points and 12 boards. Jose Calderon had 13 points and 11 assists… Al Harrington scored 31 points and David Lee had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost nine straight games in Toronto and 11 of 12 overall against the Raptors. Chris Duhon finished with 17 points.
Murphy scores 27, Pacers beat Bulls 98-91
The AP reports: Who needs Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy? Troy Murphy had a season-high 27 points and the Indiana Pacers, still without their two injured scoring leaders, survived a second-half stretch of 11 minutes without a field goal to beat the Chicago Bulls 98-91 on Sunday. The Pacers now are 5-1 without Granger, a first-time All-Star this season, and 4-1 without both Granger and Dunleavy… T.J. Ford finished with 19 points for Indiana—nine in the final 4 minutes— while Marquis Daniels and Jarrett Jack added 16 each… Ben Gordon had 28 points to lead Chicago, which used three of the five players that came to the Bulls in a series of trades last week.
Orlando Magic mascot breaks foot
The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports (via blog): Stuff the Magic mascot has joined Jameer Nelson on the team’s injury list. The furry dragon is sidelined by a broken right foot sustained while performing a stunt in the Magic’s last home game — last Tuesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Monta Ellis out 1-2 weeks
The San Francisco Chronicle (Janny Hu) reports (via blog): There have been warning signs and flare-ups here and there. And now this announcement from the Warriors: “Guard Monta Ellis, who has experienced occasional stiffness in his left ankle since returning to action on January 23, including during last night’s game against Oklahoma City, will be sidelined the next 1-2 weeks.
Rockets-Bobcats team connections
Houston forward/guard Shane Battier received the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the consensus choice as National Player of the Year as a senior at Duke.
Rockets guard/forward Tracy McGrady was drafted by the Toronto Raptors out of Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina.
Houston forward Joey Dorsey also attended Mount Zion Christian Academy in 2002-03.
Rockets Rehabilitation & Performance Coordinator/Assistant Athletic Trainer Keith Garnett also served as assistant athletic trainer/head equipment manager for the Bobcats.
Phil Ford, an assistant coach with Charlotte, played with the Rockets from 1983-85.
Bobcats forward Juwan Howard played three seasons with the Rockets (2004-07).
Charlotte center Emeka Okafor was a prep standout in Houston at Bellaire High School.
Dwight Howard was a Skip To My Lou fan
The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: His Orlando Magic teammates already are calling him by his legendary streetball name of “Skip.” Dwight Howard, 23, remembers being in middle school and watching Rafer Alston on the And 1 Mix video-tapes, marveling at his Harlem Globetrotter-esque style and jaw-dropping moves. “I wanted to be like ‘Skip To My Lou,'” Howard laughed. “Now we’re on the same team.” Alston, who arrived in a trade last Thursday from the Houston Rockets, just shakes his head about the old days. “Yeah, Dwight told me that. That he watched the And 1 stuff,” Alston said. “It makes me feel old.” … Alston realizes his playground celebrity follows him, but he says he couldn’t have lasted this long in the NBA if he hadn’t holstered his showboating style.