Magic pull away in final qtr to beat Heat

The Magic (29-18, 12-8 home) didn't get the blowout that might have been expected with MIA (9-35) missing Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, and Udonis Haslem. The Magic had an 11 pt lead at the half, only to see MIA cut the lead to just 3 pts early in the fourth. The Magic then went on a 18-1 run and wound up with a 107-91 win.

Four Magic players scored in double figures, led by another good all-around game from HTurkoglu with 27 pts (8 of 13 FGs), 12 rebs, and 5 asts, despite 6 TOs; RLewis 19 pts (7 of 16 FGs), 8 rebs; DHoward 16 pts (4 of 8 FGs), 13 rebs, 4 blocks; and MEvans 13 pts (5 of 9 FGs). KDooling led the bench with 9 pts (3 of 3 FGs).

Six players scored in double figures for MIA, led by Ricky Davis with 21 pts; Luke Jackson and Chris Quinn each added 14 pts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... ORL 34 of 69 (49.3%) MIA 33 of 78 (42.3%) ORL 74 MIA 73
3 PT FGs... MIA 7 of 18 (38.9%) ORL 6 of 19 (31.6%)
FTs... ORL 33 of 40 (82.5%) MIA 18 of 28 (64.3%)
REBs... ORL 52 MIA 29
AST/TO... MIA 21/5 ORL 15/16
BENCH... ORL 26 MIA 23

After a rough start to the month of JAN, losing 5 of their first six games to open the month, the Magic finished the month winning 6 of their final 8 games to finish JAN at 7-7. The Magic also extend their SE division lead over WAS to 3 1/2 games, and play next at PHI FRI night.

Heat to be without Wade, Haslem for tonight's game against Magic

The reeling Miami Heat (9-34, 4-17 road), losers of 16 of their last 17 games, received yet more bad news as star Dwyane Wade (flu) and mainstay Udonis Haslem (ankle) will both miss tonight's game against the Magic (28-18, 11-8 home). MIA is coming off an embarrassing 117-87 loss to undermanned BOS TUE night, as Mark Blount led MIA with 20 pts.

The probable starting lineup for MIA:

G... Jason Williams (8.9 ppg, 5.0 asts)
G... Ricky Davis (13.5 ppg)
F... Dorell Wright (6.9 ppg)
F... Luke Jackson (4.6 ppg) or Mark Blount (7.2 ppg)
C... Blount (7.2 ppg) or Earl Barron (5.1 ppg)

Top reserves: Daequan Cook (7.9 ppg); Chris Quinn (4.7 ppg)

MIA is averaging a league-worst 92.8 ppg, and allows 99.7 ppg. ORL is averaging 103.2, while allowing 100.0 ppg.

The Magic have beaten the Heat 7 straight games, including a close OT win at MIA in DEC when Wade scored 48 pts for the Heat. The Magic are whopping 16 pt favorites (www.pinnaclesports.com).

Hedo the hero with 3 pt FG at buzzer to defeat BOS

Playing without star Kevin Garnett for the first time this season due to an abdominal strain, BOS (34-8) gave the Magic all it could handle until HTurkoglu's turnaround 3 PT FG at the final buzzer gave the Magic (28-18) their second dramatic buzzer-beating win in a week, 96-93 over the Celtics.

The Magic looked like they missed the wakeup call for the first half, as they showed little energy in trailing by 3 at halftime. The Magic then caught fire and went on a 29-8 run in the third qtr to go ahead 72-56. BOS then went on a 23-6 run to take the lead back early in the fourth; however, the Magic seemingly had a comfortable 91-84 lead in the final two mins before BOS came back to tie to set up the exciting finish.

Five Magic players scored in double figures, led by Turkoglu's 27 pts (8 of 18 FGs), 6 rebs; DHoward 18 pts (6 of 10 FGs), 16 rebs, 5 blocks; RLewis 15 pts (5 of 11 FGs), 6 rebs; MEvans 11 pts (5 of 8 FGs); and BCook off the bench with 11 pts (3 of 4 3 pt FGs), all in the third qtr.

Four players scored in double figures for BOS, led by Paul Pierce's 24 pts; Ray Allen added 17 pts including the game-tying three late.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... BOS 35 of 84 (41.7%) ORL 34 of 74 (45.9%) ORL 77 BOS 77
3 PT FGs... ORL 9 of 25 (36%) BOS 7 of 18 (38.9%)
FTs... ORL 19 of 20 (95%) BOS 16 of 18 (88.9%)
REBs... ORL 43 BOS 38
AST/TO... ORL 16/20 BOS 14/11
BENCH... BOS 29 ORL 23

This was the Magic's 4th win in a row at home, and they now lead the SE by 3 games over WAS. Magic next host MIA WED night.

BOS takes on Magic on ABC this afternoon

The Magic (27-18, 10-8 home) host the team with the best record in the NBA, BOS (34-7, 15-3 road), in a nationally televised affair. After getting off to one of the best starts in league history at 29-3, the Celtics are just 5-4 since, and are coming off a close 87-86 home win over MIN on FRI, with Kendrick Perkins leading BOS with 21 pts.

The probable starting lineup for BOS:

G... Rajon Rondo (9.1 ppg)
G... Ray Allen (18.1 ppg)
F... Paul Pierce (20.3 ppg, 5.6 rebs)
F... Kevin Garnett (19.2 ppg, 9.9 rebs)
C... Kendrick Perkins (7.5 ppg, 5.7 rebs)

Top reserves... Eddie House (8.0 ppg); James Posey (7.0 ppg); Tony Allen (6.0 ppg); Glen "Big Baby" Davis (4.5 ppg)

BOS is averaging 99.0 ppg while allowing 88.0 ppg; ORL is averaging 103.4 ppg while allowing 100.2 ppg.

The Magic gave the Celtics their first loss of the season back in NOV, and are one of the few teams to score 100+ pts against BOS. The Magic have not lost to BOS at home since NOV of 2004, but the Celtics are 3 pt favorites over the Magic (www.pinnaclesports.com).

DET rides sizzling first qtr to win over Magic

DET (31-13) was more than ready for this game, as they made 17 of 22 FGs in the first qtr, compared to just 6 of 16 FGs for the Magic (27-18, 17-10 road), as they jumped out to a huge 39-18 lead after one qtr. The Pistons coasted from that point on, as the closest the Magic were able to get was 7 pts in the last minute of play, for a 101-93 win.

Five Magic players scored in double figures, led by HTurkoglu with 23 pts (7 of 15 FGs); DHoward 22 pts (7 of 11 FGs), 14 rebs; CArroyo 16 pts (8 of 14 FGs), 6 asts; RLewis 13 pts (3 of 16 FGs); KBogans off the bench 10 pts (3 of 4 FGs), 6 rebs.

Four DET players scored in double figures, led by Rip Hamilton with 32 pts, 8 rebs, 8 asts; and Chauncey Billups 21 pts, 6 asts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... DET 41 of 81 (50.6%) ORL 31 of 70 (44.3%) DET 87 ORL 68
3 PT FGs... ORL 6 of 19 (31.6%) DET 5 of 13 (38.5%)
FTs... ORL 25 of 39 (64.1%) DET 14 of 17 (82.4%)
REBs... DET 49 ORL 31
AST/TO... DET 25/14 ORL 16/9
BENCH... ORL 17 DET 15

The Magic's lead in the SE is now down to 2 games over WAS. The tough schedule continues for the Magic as they host BOS in a SUN afternoon nationally televised game.

Nelson to miss tonight's game at DET

In a game that will be nationally televised by ESPN tonight, the Magic (27-17, 17-9 road) take on DET (30-13, 14-4 home) in a rematch of MON's exciting contest.

Magic G Jameer Nelson will miss his fourth straight game due to the strained tendon in his foot, and he is also doubtful for SUN's game with BOS; his return is unknown. Look for the Magic to stick with their same lineup and rotation that has been so successful the last three games.

DET is a 7 pt favorite (www.pinnaclesports.com).

Magic fire on all cylinders in rout of MEM

After MEM went into the second qtr with a 1 pt lead, the Magic took over and dominated from that point on, making a franchise-record 18 3 pt FGs to help the Magic (27-17, 17-9 road) to their largest margin of victory for the season 112-85 over the Grizzlies (12-30). This was the third win in a row for the Magic.

Six players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by HTurkoglu with 26 pts (10 of 16 FGs), 5 asts; DHoward 16 pts (5 of 7 FGs), 10 rebs, 3 blocks; RLewis 16 pts (6 of 13 FGs), 6 rebs; KDooling off the bench with 13 pts, MEvans 12 pts; and Brian Cook off the bench with 10 pts. CArroyo added 7 asts and just 1 TO. JRedick, in the final 3 mins, scored 7 pts (3 of 4 FGs).

Four players scored in double figures for MEM, led by Rudy Gay with 20 pts. Former Magic players Mike Miller and Darko Milicic scored 10 pts and 8 pts, respectively.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... ORL 41 of 75 (54.7%) MEM 30 of 69 (43.5%) ORL 100 MEM 66
3 PT FGs... ORL 18 of 33 (54.5%) MEM 6 of 18 (33.3%)
FTs... MEM 19 of 29 (65.5%) ORL 12 of 16 (75%)
REBs... MEM 40 ORL 33
AST/TO... ORL 18/6 MEM 13/15
BENCH... ORL 39 MEM 17

Coupled with WAS's big loss to CLE, Magic now lead the SE by 3 games. The Magic will face a very tough test at DET FRI night.

Darko Milicic continues to battle inconsistency with MEM

There was a great deal of debate over the summer over the Magic's decision to not re-sign Darko Milicic, especially after the outstanding effort he put forth in the playoffs against DET, averaging 12.2 ppg on 58.8% FG shooting in almost 29 mins per game in the four games. However, this season, he seems to have regressed with MEM in his development.

Here are Milicic's stats for the Magic last season in 80 games:

MIN... 23.9
PPG... 8.0
FG%... 45.4%
FT%... 61.3%
REB... 5.5
BLK... 1.8
TO... 1.6

Now compare those stats with this season's stats for MEM for 33 games:

MIN... 23.3
PPG... 6.2
FG%... 42.3%
FT%... 46.3%
REB... 5.4
BLK... 1.9
TO... 1.7

In virtually the same number of minutes, Darko's pts, FG%, FT%, are all down significantly compared to last year. The only area where Milicic has improved at all is blocked shots. At just 22 years old, no one can deny that Darko has talent and is still developing, but the puzzling dropoff in his stats is hard to explain.

In his last 6 games, his stats are even worse... MIN 14.5... PPG... 3.5... REB... 2.7

Lewis the hero in dramatic last-second Magic victory over DET

In a close game throughout, the Magic held a 3 pt lead in the final 10 seconds before DET's Chauncey Billups tied the game with a long 30+ ft 3 pt FG with 6 secs left. After a timeout, RLewis took the inbounds pass from HTurkoglu and pulled up for a 12 footer at the buzzer, and it went in and was confirmed by replay for the win. This win by the Magic (26-17, 10-8 home) broke a 9 game losing streak to DET (29-13).

Four players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by HTurkoglu with 26 pts (7 of 16 FGs), 8 asts, 5 rebs; DHoward 23 pts (7 of 11 FGs), 8 rebs, 3 blocks; RLewis 16 pts (7 of 16 FGs), 6 rebs; and KDooling off the bench with 12 pts (3 of 6 FGs).

Six players scored in double figures for DET, with Rip Hamilton scoring 21 pts and Tayshaun Prince 20 pts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... DET 35 of 80 (43.8%) ORL 33 of 65 (50.8%) DET 77 ORL 74
3 PT FGs... ORL 8 of 17 (47.1%) DET 7 of 13 (53.8%)
FTs... ORL 28 of 37 (75.7%) DET 23 of 30 (76.7%)
REBs... ORL 36 DET 34
AST/TO... ORL 19/12 DET 14/11
BENCH... ORL 27 DET 15

DET had been 18-0 in games where they score at least 100 pts. The Magic maintain their 2 game division lead over WAS, and next do battle at MEM WED night.

DET/ORL preview

The suddenly struggling Pistons (29-12, 15-8 road) will try to get back on track against the Magic (25-17, 9-8 home) tonight at Amway Arena. After an 11 game winning streak, DET has lost 5 of their last 8 games, and their last 3 losses have come to teams with losing records, including a 97-81 loss to CHI on SAT.

The probable starting lineup for DET:

G... Chauncey Billups (17.9 ppg, 7.2 asts)
G... Rip Hamilton (18.7 ppg)
F... Tayshaun Prince (12.9 ppg)
F... Rasheed Wallace (12.3 ppg, 7.1 rebs)
C... Antonio McDyess (10.0 ppg, 8.5 rebs)

Top reserves: Jason Maxiell (8.6 ppg, 5.6 rebs); Ronald Murray (7.5 ppg); Jarvis Hayes (6.9 ppg); Arron Afflalo (3.4 ppg)

DET is averaging 97.8 ppg, while allowing 90.1 ppg. ORL is averaging 103.5 ppg, while allowing 100.5 ppg.

DET gave the Magic their worst loss of the season by 24 pts in NOV, and has dominated the Magic the last two years, including a 4 game sweep in last season's playoffs. DET is a 2 1/2 pt favorite (www.pinnaclesports.com).

No second half collapse this time as Magic beat POR

The Magic (25-17, 9-8 home) started off fast, taking advantage of a POR (24-16) team that had just played the night before, as they jumped out to a 39-18 lead midway through the second qtr. Naturally, the TrailBlazers made a run and cut their deficit to just 4 pts late in the third qtr. The Magic were able to hold on in the fourth qtr thanks in part to 7 of 8 FTs made in the final minute and won 101-94.

Five players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by HTurkoglu with 20 pts (9 of 16 FGs), 8 rebs, 5 asts; RLewis 16 pts (5 of 10 FGs), 5 asts; MEvans 15 pts (7 of 10 FGs), 5 rebs; KBogans off the bench with 13 pts (5 of 10 FGs); and DHoward 10 pts (3 of 7 FGs), 14 rebs and 4 blocks.

Brandon Roy led POR with 25 pts, 7 asts; and Travis Outlaw added 22 pts off the bench.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... ORL 40 of 80 (50%) POR 38 of 91 (41.8%) ORL 88 POR 85
3 PT FGs... POR 9 of 16 (56.2%) ORL 8 of 21 (38.1%)
FTs... ORL 13 of 23 (56.5%) POR 9 of 11 (81.8%)
REBs... ORL 48 POR 37
AST/TO... POR 23/6 ORL 19/11
BENCH... POR 39 ORL 32

Magic begin the second half of the season on a positive note, and increase their SE division lead to 2 games over WAS. Three of the next four Magic games are against East favorites DET and BOS, with DET first TUE night in ORL.

Magic begin second half of season tonight against POR

The slumping Magic (24-17, 8-8 home), losers of 6 of their last 8 games and 13 of their last 21 games, their SE division lead down to 1 1/2 games over WAS, begin the season's second half against surging POR (24-15, 7-12 road). The TrailBlazers have won 19 of their last 22 games, and are coming off a 98-91 come-from-behind victory over hapless MIA FRI night. Brandon Roy scored 24 pts to lead POR.

The probable starting lineup for POR:

G... Steve Blake (7.6 ppg)
G... Brandon Roy (19.2 ppg, 5.7 rebs)
F... Martell Webster (10.9 ppg)
F... LaMarcus Aldridge (17.8 ppg, 7.4 rebs)
C... Joel Przybilla (4.9 ppg, 7.3 rebs)

Top reserves: Jarrett Jack (9.9 ppg); James Jones (9.8 ppg); Channing Frye (6.6 ppg); Sergio Rodriguez (2.8 ppg)

POR is averaging 97.1 ppg, while allowing 95.5 ppg. ORL is averaging 103.5 ppg, while allowing 100.7 ppg.

Jameer Nelson may not play for the Magic tonight, due to the strained tendon in his foot.

The Magic are one of only three teams to win in POR this season, and have beaten POR 5 of the last 6 overall. Magic are 5 1/2 pt favorites (www.pinnaclesports.com).

Second-half collapse to CHA leads to yet another inexplicable loss for Magic

The Magic (24-17, 16-9 road), trying to build momentum after their rousing win against CHI TUE night, looked like they were well on their way after leading at the half 56-41 over CHA (15-23) and shooting over 50%. Things looked even more promising after the Magic went up 60-41 to start the second half, but the Magic suddenly and stunningly collapsed and were outscored 58-33 the rest of the way, as they made only 14 of 42 FGs in the second half (7 of 24 in the 4th qtr), to lose 99-93 to the Bobcats.

Five players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by DHoward with 24 pts (8 of 15 FGs), 21 rebs, 4 stls; CArroyo, replacing an injured JNelson in the 3rd qtr, 17 pts (6 of 13 FGs), 2 asts; HTurkoglu 16 pts (7 of 18 FGs); RLewis 14 pts (5 of 14 FGs); MEvans 10 pts (4 of 7 FGs). BCook, after providing a big spark against CHI off the bench, did not see any action at all against CHA.

Only three players scored in double figures for CHA, but it was more than enough, led by a great performance from Gerald Wallace with 36 pts (12 of 30 FGs), 14 rebs, 5 asts, 3 stls, and 0 TOs; Jerome Richardson with 26 pts, and Matt Carroll off the bench with 13 pts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... ORL 35 of 81 (43.2%) CHA 35 of 87 (40.2%) CHA 78 ORL 76
3 PT FGs... CHA 8 of 22 (36.4%) ORL 6 of 17 (35.3%)
FTs... CHA 21 of 24 (87.5%) ORL 17 of 24 (70.8%)
REBs... ORL 48 CHA 41
AST/TO... CHA 24/10 ORL 12/18
BENCH... ORL 27 CHA 21

Magic have now lost 6 of their last 8 games, and are now at the midpoint of the season with a 24-17 record, holding on to a 2 game lead in the SE over WAS. After a few days off, Magic host much-improved POR on SAT night.

Magic break open close game in third qtr, coast past CHI

The Magic (24-16, 8-8 home), with a 14 pt second qtr lead, saw CHI (14-22) cut the deficit to 54-52 late in the second qtr. The Magic then went on a tear, outscoring the Bulls 35-10, including 32-10 in the third qtr, to go into the fourth qtr with a 27 pt lead, and cruised to a 102-88 victory, evening their home record to .500. CHI made just 3 of 14 FGs in the third qtr.

Four players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by RLewis with 26 pts (8 of 12 FGs), 6 rebs; DHoward 15 pts (4 of 9 FGs), 11 rebs; KBogans off the bench with 15 pts (5 of 7 FGs); and BCook also off the bench with 14 pts (5 of 8 FGs), including 10 pts in the first half. All twelve Magic players played, and ten of them scored.

CHI PG Kirk Hinrich missed the game due to back spasms, and was replaced in the lineup by Thabo Sefolosha, who scored 9 pts. Only 3 CHI players scored in double figures, led by Joe Smith with 13 pts. Former Gator Joakim Noah added a double-double of 12 pts, 11 rebs. All twelve CHI players scored at least 4 pts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... CHI 37 of 78 (47.4%) ORL 32 of 70 (45.7%) CHI 78 ORL 75
3 PT FGs... ORL 11 of 28 (39.3%) CHI 4 of 9 FGs (44.4%)
FTs... ORL 27 of 33 (81.8%) CHI 10 of 19 (52.6%)
REBs... ORL 41 CHI 37
AST/TO... CHI 20/13 ORL 19/14
BENCH... CHI 45 ORL 38

This was one of the rare games this year where the Magic had the game all but locked up going into the fourth qtr; the Magic also held an opponent to under 100 pts for the first time in 5 games. Magic play WED night at CHA.

Bulls/Magic preview

The Magic (23-16, 7-8 home), losers of 5 of their last 6 games, will try to get to the .500 mark at home tonight against CHI (14-21, 7-11 road). The Bulls are coming off a miserable 105-84 loss to ATL on SUN, and are now 5-4 under interim coach Jim Boylan. Luol Deng led CHI with 28 pts.

The probable starting lineup for CHI:

G... Kirk Hinrich (11.3 ppg, 6.1 asts)
G... Chris Duhon (5.4 ppg)
F... Luol Deng (18.3 ppg, 6.9 rebs)
F... Joe Smith (10.3 ppg, 5.3 rebs)
C... Ben Wallace (4.5 ppg, 9.1 rebs)

Top reserves... Ben Gordon (19.1 ppg); Andres Nocioni (14.0 ppg); Tyrus Thomas (5.9 ppg); Aaron Gray (4.7 ppg); Joakim Noah (4.2 ppg)

CHI is averaging 93.9 ppg, while allowing 97.7 ppg; ORL is averaging 103.8 ppg, while allowing 101.1 ppg.

The Magic's lead in the SE is now down to 1 1/2 games over WAS. CHI has beaten the Magic 6 of the last 7 games in ORL, but the Magic are 6 pt favorites tonight (www.pinnaclesports.com).

Strong FT shooting leads UT past Magic

As was the case against DEN FRI night, the Magic hung in there against a team in UT that is very tough at home. The Magic trailed by just 5 pts entering the 4th qtr, tied the game with under 6 mins left, but could never take the lead as UT made 18 of 21 FTs in the final qtr, compared to just 10 of 20 FTs for the Magic (23-16, 16-8 road), as the Jazz (21-17) held on for a 119-115 victory.

Six players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by DHoward with 29 pts (17 of 24 FTs), 15 rebs; RLewis 27 pts (9 of 20 FGs), 6 rebs; MEvans 11 pts (4 of 10 FGs); and JNelson (4 of 6 FGs), HTurkoglu (4 of 10 FGs), and KDooling (5 of 11 FGs) who each scored 10 pts. Brian Cook (4 pts), seeing his first action in weeks, and J.J. Redick (7 pts) combined for 11 pts off the bench.

UT also had 6 players in double figures, led by Mehmet Okur with 29 pts, 8 rebs. Deron Williams added 17 pts, 11 asts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... UT 39 of 73 (53.4%) ORL 39 of 84 (46.4%) ORL 85 UT 83
3 PT FGs... ORL 7 of 23 (30.4%) UT 5 of 11 (45.5%)
FTs... UT 36 of 42 (85.7%) ORL 30 of 41 (73.2%)
REBs... ORL 39 UT 39
AST/TO... UT 32/14 ORL 16/11
BENCH... UT 31 ORL 28

The Magic finish 1-3 on the road trip, and have lost 5 of their last 6 games, with their SE division lead down to 2 games over WAS, who upset BOS SAT night. The Magic play 26 of their final 43 games at home, starting TUE night against CHI.

DEN takes over game in 4th qtr to beat Magic

The Magic were very competitive this game against DEN, leading by 3 pts at the half and by 2 pts entering the final qtr. However, the Magic (23-15, 16-7 road) faded in the 4th, making only 5 of 16 FGs, as DEN (22-13) pulled away with a 113-103 win, the Magic's 4th loss in their last 5 games.

Six players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by RLewis with 21 pts (8 of 15 FGs); DHoward 20 pts (8 of 14 FGs), 13 rebs; MEvans 15 pts (6 of 9 FGs); KBogans off the bench with 14 pts (4 of 7 FGs); JNelson 11 pts (5 of 13 FGs), 8 asts, 1 TO; and KDooling off the bench with 10 pts (3 of 5 FGs). The Magic's leading scorer, HTurkoglu, was held to just 8 pts (3 of 15 FGs).

For the Nuggets, the dynamic duo of Allen Iverson (21 pts, 13 asts) and Carmelo Anthony (32 pts, 11 rebs) combined for 53 pts. Anthony Carter added a career-tying high of 21 pts, along with 11 asts, and Linas Kleiza scored 18 pts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... DEN 42 of 89 (47.2%) ORL 39 of 84 (46.4%) DEN 91 ORL 88
3 PT FGs... ORL 10 of 26 (38.5%) DEN 7 of 16 (43.8%)
FTs... DEN 22 of 31 (71.0%) ORL 15 of 21 (71.4%)
REBs... DEN 47 ORL 43
AST/TO... DEN 32/10 ORL 22/13
BENCH... ORL 28 DEN 18

The Magic's lead in the SE is now down to 3 games over WAS, and just 1 game in the loss column. Magic conclude the road trip with another tough game in UT SAT night.

Magic/Nuggets preview

The Magic (23-14, 16-6 road) have their work cut out for them as they take on DEN (21-13, 14-5 home) tonight. DEN has the highest scoring duo in the league in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. DEN is coming off a 137-115 loss at PHO on MON, with Iverson scoring 32 pts.

The probable starting lineup for DEN:

G... Anthony Carter (8.0 ppg, 5.7 asts)
G... Allen Iverson (27.1 ppg, 6.8 asts)
F... Carmelo Anthony (25.2 ppg, 6.9 rebs)
F... Kenyon Martin (9.4 ppg, 6.0 rebs)
C... Marcus Camby (9.0 ppg, 14.0 rebs)

Top reserves: Linas Kleiza (10.4 ppg); J.R. Smith (10.1 ppg); Nene (6.4 ppg); Eduardo Najera (6.3 ppg)

DEN is averaging 106.8 ppg, while allowing 103.6 ppg. ORL is averaging 103.6 ppg, while allowing 100.3.

DEN will be without two former Magic players, Chucky Atkins and Steven Hunter. DEN has beaten the Magic 4 games in a row in DEN, and is a 4 1/2 pt favorite over the Magic (www.pinnaclesports.com).

Magic start fast against LAC, hang on for win

In contrast to their game against SAC, the Magic (23-14, 16-6 road) started like a house on fire against LAC (10-22). The Magic, thanks to hot shooting, jumped out to a 35-17 lead late in the first qtr, and held on to a 5 pt halftime lead. The Magic turned up their play again in the third qtr, extending to another 18 pt lead, but could not put away the Clippers, as they charged to within one pt late in the fourth, but could never take the lead, as the Magic won 113-106 to snap their 3 game losing streak.

Six players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by HTurkoglu with 28 pts (9 of 18 FGs), 7 rebs, 7 asts; RLewis 20 pts (7 of 15 FGs); DHoward 17 pts (6 of 13 FGs), 17 rebs, 4 stls; JNelson 14 pts (5 of 10 FGs), 9 asts, 2 TOs; MEvans, who started at SG, 13 pts (5 of 11 FGs); and KDooling off the bench with 12 pts (4 of 7 FGs).

Five players scored in double figures for LAC, led by former Magic Corey Maggette with 27 pts; Tim Thomas added 20 pts off the bench. Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy was ejected in the third qtr, which seemed to fire them up.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... ORL 40 of 82 (48.8%) LAC 36 of 77 (46.8%) ORL 89 LAC 75
3 PT FGs... ORL 9 of 23 (39.1%) LAC 3 of 13 (23.1%)
FTs... LAC 31 of 36 (86.1%) ORL 24 of 31 (77.4%)
REBs... ORL 42 LAC 39
AST/TO... ORL 25/14 LAC 25/13
BENCH... LAC 42 ORL 21

The Magic now have 16 road wins, which continues to lead the NBA, and is one more than the Magic had all last season. Magic have THU off, then conclude the road trip with two difficult back-to-back games at DEN FRI followed by UT.

Awful first half costs Magic in loss to undermanned SAC

Going up against injury-plagued SAC, who were missing Kevin Martin, Ron Artest, and Mike Bibby, the Magic came out surprisingly flat and trailed at the half 53-38. The Magic briefly cut the lead to 6 in the third qtr, only to see SAC (13-20) extend to a 88-69 margin with about 7 mins remaining. The Magic finally woke up, going on a 31-16 run to close the game to make the final score more respectable, losing 104-100. The Magic (22-14, 15-6 road) came as close as 103-100.

Four players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by DHoward with 29 pts (11 of 13 FGs, 7 of 8 FTs), 15 rebs, but 6 TOs; RLewis 22 pts (6 of 11 3 PT FGs); HTurkoglu 14 pts (5 of 14 FGs); and JRedick, who led the Magic comeback attempt in the fourth qtr with 10 pts (3 of 6 FGs), all in the final 8 mins.

Five players scored in double figures for SAC, led by John Salmons with 21 pts (8 of 14 FGs) and Brad Miller with 20 pts, 6 asts.

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... SAC 36 of 72 (50%) ORL 34 of 75 (45.3%) SAC 79 ORL 78
3 PT FGs... ORL 10 of 28 (35.7%) SAC 7 of 15 (46.7%)
FTs... SAC 25 of 30 (83.3%) ORL 22 of 25 (88%)
REBs... ORL 37 SAC 34
AST/TO... ORL 19/19 SAC 17/17
BENCH... ORL 30 SAC 27

Despite the Magic scoring 38 pts in the 4th qtr to make the final score more respectable, this will have to go down as probably the worst loss of the year for the Magic, losing to a sub-.500 team missing three of its top players, and having lost 6 of its last 7 games. Magic, who lead the SE by 3 1/2 games over WAS, go right back at it WED night at the Clippers.

Magic/Kings preview

The Magic (22-13, 15-5 road), begin a 4 game west coast swing TUE night against injury-plagued SAC (12-20, 8-8 home). The Kings will be without their top 2 scorers this season... Kevin Martin (24.5 ppg) and Ron Artest (19.1 ppg, 6.1 rebs). SAC will also be without Mike Bibby and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. SAC is coming off a close 94-93 loss to CHI on SAT night, with Brad Miller scoring 22 pts with 13 rebs.

The probable starting lineup for SAC:

G... Beno Udrih (13.6 ppg)
G... Francisco Garcia (13.4 ppg)
F... John Salmons (16.8 ppg)
F... Mikki Moore (8.2 ppg, 5.9 rebs)
C... Brad Miller (13.6 ppg, 8.8 rebs)

Top reserves... Dahntay Jones (5.2 ppg); Quincy Douby (4.2 ppg); Spencer Hawes (2.7 ppg)

SAC is averaging 97.5 ppg, while allowing 100.7 ppg. ORL is averaging 103.4 ppg, while allowing 100.0. SAC also leads the NBA in TOs.

The Magic are 5 pt favorites (www.pinnaclesports.com).

Quote of the day

Some quotes from Stan Van Gundy in Monday's Sentinel regarding the backcourt rotation:

"I don't know what we're going to do. We're in flux."

"You would think by Game 35 you would have it figured out, but I don't."

"We may need a different mix again. Part of me says quit screwing around and go back to the guys (Nelson, Bogans) when you were 16-4. I just don't know right now."

Blown call at end of game costs Magic in loss to HOU

Things looked pretty bleak for the Magic halfway through the 4th qtr, trailing HOU 89-77. The Magic (22-13, 7-8 home), however, did not quit and staged a furious rally to tie the game at 94 with 20 secs remaining. After a layup by Rafer Alston of HOU with 4 secs left, RLewis of the Magic drove the ball toward the basket, missed the layup, but was tipped in by AFoyle (in the game for DHoward, who fouled out) at the buzzer. The replay confirmed that the tip seemed to be made just before the red light over the basket came on, but the refs disagreed, and HOU (16-17) ran off the court with a 96-94 win.

Four players scored in double figures in a revamped starting lineup for the Magic, who started KDooling (9 pts, 3 of 9 FGs) at SG in place of KBogans. JNelson came off the bench to lead the Magic with 20 pts (8 of 13 FGs), 4 asts. DHoward saw his double-double streak come to an end with 16 pts (5 of 11 FGs), 8 rebs before fouling out late. RLewis added 16 pts (4 of 15 FGs), including a big three to tie the game late; HTurkoglu finished with 13 pts (5 of 12 FGs), 11 rebs.

The Rockets, playing without Tracy McGrady, had five players in double figures, led by Yao with 26 pts (10 of 18 FGs), 10 rebs. Rafer Alston added 20 pts (7 of 14 FGs).

The statistical breakdown:

FGs... HOU 37 of 78 (47.4%) ORL 34 of 76 (44.7%) HOU 79 ORL 75
3 PT FGs... ORL 7 of 19 (36.8%) HOU 5 of 16 (31.2%)
FTs... ORL 19 of 25 (76%) HOU 17 of 19 (89.5%)
REB... HOU 44 ORL 35
AST/TO... ORL 15/14 HOU 18/20
BENCH... ORL 32 HOU 29

Magic fall under .500 at home once again, and embark on a 4 game west coast trip starting TUE at SAC. I doubt we've heard the last of the controversial ending, as the league will have some explaining to do as to why the game-tying shot by the Magic was disallowed, when the replay shows it should have been allowed.

Rockets/Magic preview

The Magic (22-12, 7-7 home), coming off a disappointing home loss to NJ, take on HOU (15-17, 8-11 road). The Rockets are coming off a close loss 97-93 at BOS WED night, as Bonzi Wells came off the bench to lead HOU with 25 pts. HOU will be without former Magic players Tracy McGrady, who has been having knee problems, and Steve Francis, who has a bad quadriceps.

The probable starting lineup for HOU:

G... Rafer Alston (10.3 ppg)
G... Luther Head (6.4 ppg)
F... Shane Battier (8.6 ppg)
F... Chuck Hayes (3.3 ppg, 6.4 rebs)
C... Yao Ming (21.2 ppg, 10.7 rebs)

Top reserves: Bonzi Wells (10.4 ppg, 5.7 rebs); Mike James (7.4 ppg); Luis Scola (7.4 ppg, 5.2 rebs); Aaron Brooks (4.5 ppg)

HOU is averaging 94.8 ppg, while allowing 94.1 ppg. ORL is averaging 103.7 ppg, while allowing 100.1 ppg.

With McGrady missing a lot of action, HOU has lost 6 of their last 9 games. HOU has beaten the Magic 5 straight games in ORL, and 9 of 11 overall; but the Magic did win in HOU in DEC. The Magic are 4 1/2 pt favorites (www.pinnaclesports.com).

Down by 11 entering 4th qtr, NJ comes back to edge Magic

NJ (15-16, 8-5 road), trailing by as many as 15 pts, came alive to score 58 second half pts on 24 of 41 FGs as the Magic (22-12, 7-7 home), who had an 11 pt lead entering the final qtr, still had a chance to win in their last possession but HTurkoglu, who hit the winning shot against CHI, could not come through and NJ came out with a 96-95 victory.

Former Magic G Darrell Armstrong came up huge in the 4th, hitting all four of his shots for 9 pts, and finished with 13 pts (6 of 7 FGs). Armstrong had only been averaging 1.7 ppg prior to this game. Seven players scored in double figures for NJ, including the Big Three of Vince Carter (18 pts), Richard Jefferson (14 pts) and Jason Kidd (10 pts, 10 rebs, 8 asts). However, the trio shot just 12 of 37 FGs.

Six players scored in double figures for the Magic, led by HTurkoglu with 23 pts (7 of 17 FGs); CArroyo, who once again started at PG, 16 pts (5 of 9 FGs), 7 asts, 0 TOs; RLewis 14 pts (6 of 12 FGs); DHoward 13 pts (5 of 11 FGs), 13 rebs; and KBogans 10 pts (3 of 7 FGs). AFoyle led the bench with 10 pts (5 of 6 FGs), 5 rebs.

A statistical breakdown:

FGs... NJ 36 of 77 (46.8%) ORL 35 of 80 (43.8%) NJ 76 ORL 75
3 PT FGs... ORL 5 of 17 (29.4%) NJ 4 of 11 (36.4%)
FTs... NJ 20 of 28 (71.4%) ORL 20 of 29 (69.0%)
REB... NJ 42 ORL 37
AST/TO... NJ 24/13 ORL 14/11
BENCH... NJ 48 ORL 19

This loss stops the Magic winning streak at 4. All the SE division teams lost WED night, so ORL still has a 4 game division lead over ATL. Magic next host Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and HOU FRI night.

The Month of January for the Magic

Heading into the New Year, the Magic are 22-11, with the third best record in the Eastern Conference, and are tied for the third most wins in the NBA, along with an NBA leading 15 road wins. Considering their road-heavy schedule the first two months, I don't think too many people would have thought the Magic would have so many victories at this point. Sure, there have been bumps along the way and a few bad losses, but generally, the Magic are progressing well under first-year coach Stan Van Gundy.

The Magic have 14 games this month... 7 home and 7 on the road. At home, they play four games against teams that are currently under .500 (NJ, HOU, CHI, MIA). Three games are against teams over .500 (POR, DET, BOS). On the road, the Magic play four games against teams that are currently under .500 (SAC, LAC, CHA, MEM). Three road games are against teams over .500 (DEN, UT, DET).

A pessimistic view of how the Magic will fare this month: 6-8
Optimistic view: 10-4

Two games against DET and one against BOS will be good indicators of where the Magic currently stand as a team.