Game review: Magic (32-16) 91, Pistons (15-31) 86
The Magic, playing without PG Jameer Nelson the final three quarters because of a hyperextended knee, were able to squeak out a hard-fought win against their nemesis Detroit, thanks to another outstanding performance off the bench from J.J. Redick in place of an ineffective Vince Carter, and also reserve Mickael Pietrus, who hit several clutch shots during the game. The Pistons had lost 18 of 22 games coming into the game and had lost their last home game by 27 points to Miami, and were also without starter Charlie Villanueva, who was scratched just before the game. Nevertheless, they gave the Magic all they could handle.
The Magic started out the game like they were going to blow out the Pistons, as they made 7 of their first 8 shots and led by as much as 25-10 in the first quarter before settling for a 29-21 lead after one. The Magic had a comfortable 43-29 lead halfway through the second quarter before suddenly going cold and turning the ball over as the Pistons pulled to within 48-45 at halftime. The Magic scored just 2 points the first 6 minutes of the third quarter as the Pistons completed a 30-9 run that started in the second quarter and had their largest lead at 59-52. The Magic came back to pull within 65-64 after three. That was the Pistons' last lead of the game, as the Magic scored the first 5 points of the fourth quarter to go ahead 69-65. However, they could not put the Pistons away as they stayed close and tied the game at 79 with 3:54 remaining. The Magic scored five in a row to make it 84-79, but Detroit refused to give up, coming to within 87-86 with just under a minute remaining. Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon each missed shots with under 20 seconds remaining that would have given the Pistons the lead. The Magic made their final 4 free throws in the final seconds to account for the win.
Magic leading scorers
J.J. Redick (bench): 17 points (5 of 11 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs)
Dwight Howard: 16 points (4 of 9 FGs, 8 of 18 FTs), 15 rebounds, 5 blocks
Rashard Lewis: 15 points (5 of 7 FGs, 3 of 4 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 14 points (4 of 5 3 PT FGs)
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: ORL 46.9% (30 of 64) DET 39.2% (31 of 79)
3 PT FG%: ORL 45.5% (10 of 22) DET 31.2% (5 of 16)
FT%: DET 76% (19 of 25) ORL 65.6% (21 of 32)
REB: DET 43 (12 offensive) ORL 38 (4 offensive)
AST/TO: DET 20/12 ORL 19/14
BENCH: ORL 47 DET 22
Other game notes and stats:
-Four Pistons finished in double figures, led by G Rodney Stuckey with 18 points, 7 assists; F Jonas Jerebko added 16 points, 9 rebounds; Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince combined to score 26 points, but shot a combined 10 of 26; Pistons' C Ben Wallace added 9 rebounds and 3 blocks
-Pistons' free agent signee Ben Gordon scored just 5 points off the bench on 2 of 11 shooting
-The Pistons' starters outscored the Magic starters 64-44
-The Magic bench scored 47 points on 15 of 31 FG shooting, including 6 of 16 on threes, and made all 11 free throw attempts
-Redick and Pietrus combined for 31 points off the bench on 9 of 17 FGs, including 6 of 11 3 PT FGs
-During the Pistons' 30-9 run that spanned portions of the second and third quarter, the Magic shot just 2 of 17 and committed 7 turnovers
-The Magic held the Pistons to 41 second-half points
-After weeks of not seeing meaningful playing time, Magic PG Anthony Johnson backed up Jason Williams due to Nelson's injury and scored 6 points with 3 assists and 0 turnovers in 21 minutes
-Vince Carter's struggles continue, as he scored 2 points on 1 of 8 shooting; he was replaced by Redick at the 7:49 mark of the third quarter and did not return
-Other than Howard, the Magic were 13 of 14 at the FT line
-Rashard Lewis attempted just 7 field goals in 31 minutes; he scored 9 first quarter points and did not score a gain until the final quarter
-With the Magic win, they now are all alone as the second seed in the East; as a result, Stan Van Gundy will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the All-Star Game in 2 weeks; Cleveland coach Mike Brown is ineligible because he was the coach last season
Here is the complete recap and box score from nba.com
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 10:46 PM
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Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. NBA champs in 2004, runners-up in 2005 and six consecutive Eastern Conference Championship series appearances from 2003-2008, Detroit has dealt with several key injuries, coaching changes and a revolving roster over the past two seasons. Unlike previous years when Dwight Howard and Co. had to contend with Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace on the inside and Chauncey Billups on the perimeter, the Magic know this is not the same Pistons team of old. In their last meeting on Nov. 6 at Amway Arena, Howard powered his way to 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Jameer Nelson and Matt Barnes each posted 18 points in an impressive victory. Vince Carter (sprained ankle) and Rashard Lewis (suspension) did not play in that game. Since their defeats in the postseason against Detroit in 2007 and 2008, the Magic seem to always want to prove they do not fear the Pistons in any way.
p.m. ET. Already 2-0 against the Hawks in 2009-10, the Magic look to sustain their dominance over their familiar foes. In the two meetings this season, Orlando won by an average margin of 24.5 points. Dwight Howard racked up 22 points and 17 rebounds in the Magic’s victory on Thanksgiving night at Philips Arena, while a balanced effort guided Orlando past Atlanta at Amway Arena on Jan. 9. Preventing Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford from having big nights is key for Orlando. The two Atlanta guards were a combined 19-for-57 from the field in their two losses against the Magic. If they win on Saturday and finish with the same record as the Hawks at season’s end, the Magic will secure the tiebreaker against Atlanta. Not only would it determine the division winner, but even more important, it would give Orlando home-court advantage over Atlanta should the two teams meet in the playoffs.
battle the Boston Celtics (29-13, 16-6 road) for the third time this season at 8 p.m. ET. Orlando has split its two meetings with Boston during its 2009-10 campaign. After traveling up to Beantown and notching an 83-78 victory on Nov. 20, the Magic fell to the Celtics, 86-77, at Amway Arena on Christmas Day. Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo took advantage of a rusty Jameer Nelson – who was playing in just his third game after missing more than a month following knee surgery – and dominated the Magic to the tune of 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. But since that triumph on Dec. 25, Boston has won just six of its last 14 games – a stretch that included three consecutive losses at TD Garden. However, Kevin Garnett played in just three contests during that span. And Orlando is all too familiar with how much his presence means to Boston defensively. “They have a lot of athleticism, they move well and they take up a lot of the paint, so they make it tough,” Vince Carter said of Boston’s defense. “They do a great job and believe in each other on the defensive end.”
Bobcats at 7 p.m. ET. Orlando has won its past six contests against Charlotte, including its two meetings with the Bobcats this season. But both of their wins came well before the Bobcats started to hit their stride. Charlotte has won six of their last seven, including two consecutive blowouts of Western Conference powerhouses (Phoenix and San Antonio). “I just want the guys to be proud of what they've done and realize these are just small steps,” Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown said of his team. “We dug ourselves such a huge hole at the beginning of the season. We've just got to continue to try to get better.” Part of the reason for Charlotte’s turnaround has to do with the addition of Stephen Jackson. They now find themselves in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, holding down the fifth seed. “That's what I play this game for,” said Jackson, who is averaging over 20 points per game since the trade. “I just want to go out there and be a factor every night.”
meeting with the Kings this season, Orlando throttled Sacramento, 109-88. Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard delivered a spectacular performance, posting 30 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots. “We couldn't stop Dwight Howard,” Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal said following that game. “If we doubled him, he found the open man. If we didn't double him, he scored himself.” The Magic were also boosted by a tremendous defensive performance in the fourth quarter of that affair. Orlando used an 18-4 run to open the fourth and held Sacramento to just one field goal over the first 7:14 of the quarter. “The only way that we are going to get better is if we play defensively like we did (that night),” Howard said. “I think we came out with a great defensive effort as a team.”
Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Orlando is 1-1 against Indiana this season and in each of their matchups the home team has emerged the victor courtesy of a huge performance from their respective center. Magic center Dwight Howard and Pacers big man Roy Hibbert have each had their shining moments against one another this season. In Orlando’s first meeting with Indiana, Howard erupted for 21 points and 23 rebounds to lift the Magic to a 106-98 victory. In the second matchup, Hibbert helped get Howard into early foul trouble and then took advantage by exploding for a career-high 26 points to go along with eight rebounds in the Pacers’ 97-90 triumph on January 5. “I’m proud to see him mature into the player he is,” Howard said of Hibbert. “I’m very happy for him.”
with the Los Angeles Lakers (31-9, 22-3 home) in front of a national audience at 10:30 p.m. ET. After sweeping their regular season series with Los Angeles, the Magic dropped their Finals series with the Lakers, 4-1, last year. “It’s hard to say that we’ve gotten over losing to the Lakers, I know I haven’t,” Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard explained. “People don’t understand how I felt playing in the NBA Finals because that was a life-long dream. But then you get so close and lose and it’s like losing something in your life that you cherish the most.” All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson knows there’s only one way to get the bad taste of losing The Finals out of Orlando’s mouth. “I don’t know if you ever get over losing in The Finals until you win a championship,” Nelson said. While the nation will be focused on the rematch, Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy is worried about other things. He’s focused on righting the ship for an Orlando team that’s won just two of its past eight games. “It hasn’t been perfect, but our guys are making a good effort to do more of the things that we want,” Van Gundy said. “The Lakers are not even the big issue. It’s about us getting ourselves right... if we make a better effort and do things better, we have a chance to get better.”
Portland Trail Blazers (24-16, 15-7 home), on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET on national TV on ESPN. Brandon Roy (who is questionable for the game with a sore hamstring), an All-Star last season and one of the NBA’s premier scoring guards, erupted for a game-high 33 points in Orlando against the Magic. The Blazers, however, didn’t have an answer for Dwight Howard late as the Magic coasted to a 92-83 triumph. D-12 racked up an impressive 20 rebounds and four blocked shots, while Rashard Lewis and Jason Williams combined for 28 points. Besides hoping to climb in the Eastern Conference standings, Orlando would love a victory in Portland to elevate its confidence before traveling to L.A. for a rematch with the defending champion Lakers on Monday.
Nuggets, at 9 p.m. ET. Although recent injuries to both Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups have slightly diminished their offensive firepower, the Nuggets remain among the best in the league. Once completely healthy, Denver expects to be a serious challenger to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the West. Orlando, furthermore, has plenty in common with its opponent from the Mile High City. Both teams feature supreme centers in Dwight Howard and Nene. These two forces will attempt to slow down one another, while other key standouts such as the Magic’s Rashard Lewis and the Nuggets’ Kenyon Martin will try to steal the spotlight offensively. Perhaps most significant in this highly-anticipated matchup, the Magic and Nuggets embrace two of the NBA’s best benches. On one hand, reserves such as Mickael Pietrus, Ryan Anderson and Jason Williams have provided a colossal boost for Orlando. On the other hand, J.R. Smith and rookie sensation Ty Lawson have delivered frequent big performances for Denver. Last season, these two championship contenders advanced far into the postseason. Orlando competed in the NBA Finals, while Denver qualified for the Western Conference Finals.
(23-12, 9-8 road) at 7 p.m. ET. After a red-hot 11-3 start to the season, the Hawks are just 12-9 since dropping a Thanksgiving Day decision to the Magic on November 26. Following a sub-par showing in the first half of that contest, Orlando went on to outscore Atlanta 54-25 after halftime as it marched to a 93-76 road victory. Dwight Howard and Anthony Johnson played huge roles in that triumph, combining for 39 points, 31 of which came in the second half. "I came out in the second half and just trusted my teammates," Howard said following that game. "They made some open shots and I tried to dominate the paint. It doesn't matter if we're down 20, we're going to continue to fight." The Magic will need a similar effort from their superstar center on Saturday if they want to extend their current half game lead over the Hawks in the Southeast Division.
(10-22, 5-9 home) at 7p.m. ET for the first time this season. Orlando swept its season series with Washington last season, 4-0. The Wizards have had to deal with their share of adversity already this season, ranging from off-the-court distractions to injuries, and as a result have already used 12 different starting lineups. "It's tough, but you just have to stay ready," Wizards guard Randy Foye said to the media on Monday. "You just have to keep working hard and be ready when your number is called." Caron Butler, who struggled at the start of the season to adjust to Wizards Head Coach Flip Saunders' offensive system, believes they're about to turn the corner. "I've finally gotten a rhythm in this offense," Butler recently told the Washington Post. "Things are starting to turn a corner. Hopefully, it continues to do that because we're right there.