Game 4: Magic 99, Bobcats 90... Magic win series 4-0

For the first time in franchise history, the Magic have swept a team four games in the playoffs as five Magic players scored in double figures, led by Vince Carter's 21 points, and the Magic sank 13 three pointers to eliminate Charlotte, despite another foul-plagued game from Dwight Howard.

The Magic started out strong, looking to blow out the Bobcats early, as they jumped out to a 21-10 lead with 4:31 remaining in the first, but the Bobcats came back with a 15-2 run to take a 25-23 lead after one. The Bobcats held the lead for most of the second quarter, with their largest lead of 40-33 halfway through the quarter. The Magic came back to take a brief 43-42 lead, but the Bobcats led 45-43 at the half. The Magic took the lead for good at the 9:09 mark of the third, going ahead 51-49 on Carter's first made three pointer of the series. The Magic maintained a small lead the rest of the third and led 71-68 going into the fourth. It looked like the game would go down to the wire as the Magic held a 77-76 lead with 7:01 remaining in the game, but the Magic went on a 10-0 run to go ahead 87-76 to seal the game for all intents and purposes with 4:18 remaining. Charlotte could get no closer than 7 points the rest of the way, as they went 8:19 in the fourth without a field goal, shooting 0 for 8 in that span.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 21 points (7 of 16 FGs, 1 of 5 3 PT FGs, 6 of 9 FTs), 4 assists
Jameer Nelson: 18 points (4 of 12 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs, 8 of 10 FTs), 4 assists, 2 steals
Rashard Lewis: 17 points (5 of 8 FGs, 4 of 7 3 PT FGs), 4 rebounds
Matt Barnes: 14 points (3 of 10 FGs, 3 of 7 3 PT FGs, 5 of 6 FTs), 8 rebounds, 3 steals
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 13 points (3 of 6 3 PT FGs), 2 stea;s, 2 blocks

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: CHA 45.1% (32 of 71) ORL 41.8% (28 of 67)
3 PT FG%: ORL 39.4% (13 of 33) CHA 26.3% (5 of 19)
FT%: ORL 71.4% (30 of 42) CHA 63.6% (21 of 33)
REB: ORL 38 (7 offensive) CHA 36 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: CHA 27/10 ORL 18/7
BENCH: CHA 41 ORL 23

Other game notes and stats:

-Four Bobcats scored in double figures, led by reserve Tyrus Thomas with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting with 9 rebounds; Gerald Wallace had 17 points with 5 rebounds; Boris Diaw with 13 points and Raymond Felton with 11 points and 6 assists
-Stephen Jackson had 8 assists, but scored just 6 points on 2 of 11 shooting with 4 turnovers; he and Felton combined to shoot just 5 of 19 from the field
-Dwight Howard fouled out in 23:25, scoring 6 points with 13 rebounds and 2 blocks
-Marcin Gortat played 24:35, and added 6 points and 6 rebounds
-The Magic starters outscored the Charlotte starters 76-49
-The Bobcats made just 1 of their final 12 three point attempts
-The Magic outscored the Bobcats 39-15 on three pointers and 30-21 on free throws to more than offset the Bobcats' 54-30 advantage on two pointers
-Carter fouled out of the game in addition to Howard
-Bobcats' starting center Theo Ratliff committed 5 fouls in 8 minutes
-The Magic shot 23 free throws in the fourth quarter, making 15

The Magic will play the winner of the Milwaukee/Atlanta series, which is currently tied at two games apiece after the Bucks' win Monday.

Here is the complete recap and box score from nba.com.