Orlando Magic Blog

Best of luck to the Orlando Magic, and thanks for reading Orlando Magic Blog

2010-06-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

The Magic 2010 draft

2010-06-25T03:15:00.003-04:00

From the Orlando Magic press release Thursday night:

MAGIC SELECT DANIEL ORTON IN FIRST ROUND OF 2010 NBA DRAFT
Orlando also picks Stanley Robinson during the second round

The Orlando Magic selected center Daniel Orton in the first round (29th overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft. Orlando also chose Stanley Robinson during the second round (59th overall).

Orton (6’10”, 255, 8/6/90) played in all 38 games during his freshman season at the University of Kentucky, averaging 3.4 ppg., 3.3 rpg. and 1.39 blkpg. in 13.4 minpg. He helped the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight during the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Orton recorded 16 games with two-or-more blocked shots, including four games with four rejections, the last time on Mar. 7 vs. Florida. He netted a season-high 14 points on Nov. 21 vs. Rider. Orton attended Bishop McGuiness High School in Oklahoma City, OK and participated in the 2009 Jordan Brand Classic.

Robinson (6’9”, 210, 7/14/88) appeared in 126 career games (103 starts) at the University of Connecticut, averaging 9.8 ppg., 6.2 rpg., 1.0 apg. and 1.03 blkpg. during his four-year collegiate career. As a senior (2009-10), he averaged 14.5 ppg., a team-high 7.6 rpg., 1.0 apg. and 1.21 blkpg. for the Huskies. Robinson helped UConn reach the NCAA Final Four in 2009.

For complete Magic draft coverage, log onto Orlando Pinstriped Post.

The future of this blog

2010-06-19T03:30:00.001-04:00

Since we have lost several contributors from the blog since its beginning in January of 2006, including blog moderator WeRDevos, I am seriously thinking about not continuing our blog any more, since it no longer is thriving like it was when we had more contributors.

Orlando Pinstriped Post provides the best Magic coverage on the internet, and is the best Magic blog without question, and members there are free to comment on any of the posts or even make posts themselves. Matt, I know you read OPP on a regular basis; Big Figure, you should check it out if you haven't already. I've been a member for over two years.

Matt and Big Figure, I appreciate you guys still reading and contributing to this blog, and if you have any comments about this, I'd be interested in hearing (or anyone else for that matter) what you think.

The upcoming draft for the Magic

2010-06-13T05:30:00.005-04:00

Here is an article from bleacherreport.com correspondent Wil Bradley on what the Magic might be looking for in the 2010 draft coming up in a few weeks.

Some excerpts:

Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith believes his team needs only an “eighth of an inch” improvement to be an NBA champion.

He told fans finding ball handlers, and adding one or two pieces to the “puzzle” would be the priority.

Orlando's lack of cap space, and multiple high-dollar contracts limit what can be accomplished via free-agency. The Magic do have a trade-exception and mid-level exception, giving them some slack.

The draft will provide the only other means of improving the team. Again Smith says he's looking for the best player available. At the 29th position, most draft analysts predict quite a few guards available.

Will the Magic keep J.J. Redick?

2010-06-10T05:15:00.003-04:00

Columnist Wil Bradley of bleacherreport.com examines the question in this article. Here are excerpts:

Orlando Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick enters restricted free agency on July 1.

Many think Redick will play elsewhere next season. Those same analysts believe Redick will command too high a salary for the Magic to match.

Others foresee Redick staying with Orlando, maybe even for a smaller salary, to remain on a contending team. Redick has stated that winning meant more than money.

If other front offices value Redick more than the Magic, Orlando possesses options. They could trade him by July 8, or they could just let him walk.

Based upon forecasts that Redick will be highly sought after, the Magic could already be thinking trade.

Could Orlando replace what he brings?

No player on the Magic, maybe even in the NBA, works harder than J.J. He brings a competitiveness that many of his teammates clearly lacked.

The argument could be made that trading JJ for an additional first round draft pick could be more valuable than keeping Redick.

Whether the Magic want to replace him remains to be seen.

Magic players under contract for next season

2010-06-08T05:00:00.005-04:00

Here's a listing of Magic players under contract for the 2010-11 season, and how much they will earn. All salary information is from hoopshype.com.

Rashard Lewis... $20,514,000
Vince Carter... $17,300,000
Dwight Howard... $16,509,600
Jameer Nelson... $6,722,222
Marcin Gortat... $6,322,220
Mickael Pietrus... $5,300,000
Brandon Bass... $4,000,000
Ryan Anderson... $1,409,040

J.J. Redick will be a restricted free agent and has a qualifying offer of $3,887,150. The Magic can match any other offer he receives from another team.

Matt Barnes will probably become an unrestricted free agent, as he has a player option next season of $1,600,000.

This leaves the Magic with a payroll for next season currently at around $74.2 million, and if the Magic re-sign Redick, this figure probably goes to around $80 million, with the Magic having nine players under contract (assuming they can re-sign Redick). That leaves four to five players that will need to be signed to fill out the roster. How far over the salary cap would the Magic be willing to go for next season to fill out their roster.

Jason Williams, Anthony Johnson, and Adonal Foyle all will be unrestricted free agents.

Magic GM Smith Answers Fans' Burning Questions

2010-06-04T01:35:00.002-04:00

Here are some excerpts from an article from correspondent Wil Bradley of The Bleacher Report about what Otis Smith may do this off-season to improve the Magic:

Magic general manager Otis Smith described the season as a "failure." As an organization, the bar has been raised.

"We set the bar," stated Smith. "And the bar is a championship. Anything less than that, rests on my head."

Smith believes the Magic need to make up an "eighth of an inch" between themselves and the NBA's best teams.

What holes need to be filled?

Orlando only has one point guard, with Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson having expiring contracts. Smith described both players as being “long in the tooth."

Turnovers hurt the Magic throughout the season. The effect of Orlando's occasional sloppy play became magnified against the Celtics. More ball handlers would alleviate pressure on Nelson to keep the ball moving.

How much will the roster change?

Smith clearly believes the Magic can compete as is. That said, Smith predicts only minor roster adjustments.

Simply put, the Magic will be looking to get better at the wing and point guard position. Somehow, I can still see Smith performing his NBA Jedi magic, and adding a true power forward.

Will the team keep J.J. Redick?

My rock solid pick for NBA free-agency, J.J. Redick stays in Orlando.

The organization values Redick.

Smith indicated as such, "We'll do what we can to keep him."

What are the Magic's draft plans?

Smith did a great job finding Courtney Lee two years ago. Orlando has the 29th pick in the first round, and the 59th pick in the second.

Orlando hopes to get better via the draft—but if they can't, expect a deal.

Orlando's approach—make the team better—could mean that Smith trades the picks, getting more seasoned talent in return.

Here is the complete article from bleacherreport.com.

Bleacher Report: Orlando Magic's Secret Top 5 Free Agent Wish List

2010-06-03T02:58:00.003-04:00

Here is an article from correspondent Wil Bradley of bleacherreport.com about how the Magic could get better during the off-season:

Winning an NBA Championship remains the goal in the City Beautiful.

Outside of the disappointment that comes with losing a playoff series, fans still hold on to hope. A hope based upon All-Star center Dwight Howard's showing in the playoffs.

We now know he can carry the team—not just defensively—but on both sides of the ball. His offense still needs work, but even in its present state, not many teams can handle Superman.

General manager Otis Smith enters the off-season at a disadvantage. He made major moves last summer to make his team a true contender. The moves put the Magic about $27 million over the salary cap.

So many high priced players have created repercussions for this off-season. Orlando now has very little room to sign players outright in free-agency. Any big moves will most likely require sign—and—trade deals.

In order to make such deals happen, the Magic will need to find big name players. The big names make matching salaries in the trade easier.

Smith comes in with a big advantage—a team everyone believes to be a contender. This year's free-agency theme for players has become “I want to win”.

Smart money would bet the Magic are closer than all but two or three teams to a title.

If the Magic do make any quality moves, expect to see Marcin Gortat and Rashard Lewis as part of what Orlando gives up. Getting some of the names on this list might mean sacrificing even more.

At this point, that's fine, Orlando possesses most of what it needs to contend: Dwight Howard.

Here are the free agents Bradley believes the Magic should go after, which comes after the article.

Kelly Dwyer thinks Magic will be a top team next season

2010-06-02T01:50:00.004-04:00

Here are some excerpts from a column Tuesday by Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports' Ball Don't Lie:

You're the Orlando Magic. You just won 59 games, you probably should have beaten the Boston Celtics, you were designed to win a championship, and your best feature involves a 24-year-old, 6-11 center who can slap the top of the backboard while leading the NBA in blocks and rebounds at the same time.

Could you start things over, if you wanted to, Mr. Orlando Magic? No, you couldn't. Because you've already spent the money. You bought the tickets, and you're on the cruise. It doesn't matter if you don't like the buffet, if you can't stand the MC, or if you forget to pack your good slacks. You're on the boat. You're going to be there, with this crew, until at least 2012.

The Orlando Magic are stuck, but the Orlando Magic are stacked. I had them coming out of the East, all season. I had them offering all the answers, too quick for the Celtics, too sturdy for the Cavaliers, too good for Atlanta. I thought they were going to defend their crown, and I told anyone that would listen that the finals were to start in Florida two days from now.

I was wrong, obviously. The Magic leaned too hard on people, not players, who shouldn't be leaned upon. People who cannot be trusted. Respect the hell out of Jameer Nelson as a person, I implore you, but at times he's too unaware of his own talent. His own gifts. The same can be said for Vince Carter, who could be an absolute demon in the triple-threat position in a playoff game. The exact same for Rashard Lewis. All three failed Orlando, in May.

...a team that's probably going to return just about everyone next season, and a team that should probably have the best chance (with Boston possibly fading, and LeBron James going or staying or who the heck knows?) at taking the Eastern crown in 2010-11.

You bring everyone back, and you try again. The Magic are a championship-level team. If only they knew.

Here is the complete column from Kelly Dwyer from Ball Don't Lie.

Magic Must Now Deal With the Future

2010-05-31T03:11:00.003-04:00

Here is an excerpt from an article from Wil Bradley of the Bleacher Report, which details what he thinks the Magic must do in the off-season:

The Orlando Magic's Game 3 nose-dive pushed the countdown button on looking forward to the upcoming summer.

In the recesses of general manager Otis Smith's mind, games four through six became an on-the-job tryout.

The tryouts ended Friday night, and now the off-season officially launches.

Smith made drastic roster changes last off-season. Six new names joined the Magic roster at the beginning of 2009.

The make-up of the franchise had shifted to emphasize the inside aspect, of the team's inside-out offensive approach.

The Magic worked through some early season growing pains, to find their stride the last third of the season. The Magic continued to dominate in the post-season, sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Then the Magic faced the test of defeating a championship team. Literally the same starting five that won the 2008 NBA Championship.

Orlando failed the test.

Here is the complete article from the Bleacher Report.

Here are the final playoff statistics for key Magic players:

Jameer Nelson: 19.0 ppg... 47.9% FG... 39.3% 3 PT FG... 4.8 asts... 1.0 stls... 2.5 tos
Dwight Howard: 18.1 ppg... 61.4% FG... 11.1 rebs... 3.5 blks... 3.6 to
Vince Carter: 15.5 ppg... 40.2% FG... 23.5% 3 PT FG... 4.2 rebs... 2.3 asts
Rashard Lewis: 12.9 ppg... 46.2% FG... 37.3% 3 PT FG... 5.6 rebs... 1.1 stls
Mickael Pietrus: 8.4 ppg... 43.8% FG... 45.9% 3 PT FG
J.J. Redick: 7.5 ppg... 42.3% FG... 42.9% 3 PT FG
Matt Barnes: 6.4 ppg... 40.0 FG... 37.5% 3 PT FG... 4.7 rebs
Marcin Gortat: 3.0 ppg... 65.4% FG... 4.4 rebs
Brandon Bass... 2.7 ppg... 53.8% FG... 1.1 rebs
Ryan Anderson: 2.6 ppg... 31.0% FG... 28.6% 3 PT FG... 3.4 rebs
Jason Williams: 2.6 ppg... 34.2% FG... 25.0% 3 PT FG... 1.6 asts

ECF Game 6: Celtics 96, Magic 84... Celtics win series 4 -2

2010-05-29T04:23:00.000-04:00

The pressure was squarely on Boston in Game 6, and they responded in resounding fashion, as the Magic had the lead for only 11 seconds in the game, 12-11 in the first. The game was not as close as the final score might indicate, as the Celtics jumped out to a 21 point second quarter lead, thanks to backup PG Nate Robinson's 13 second quarter points. The Magic managed to cut their deficit to 13 points at halftime, 55-42, but the Celtics extended their lead to as much as 80-56 late in the third and led by a commanding 82-61 margin heading into the fourth. The Celtics went back up by 24 points early in the fourth 85-61, but the Magic went on a 13-3 run over the next 7:01 to cut their deficit to 88-74 with 4:40 remaining. The Celtics then scored the 8 of the next 12 points to put the game away, as the Magic scored the last 6 points in garbage time.

Congratulations to the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics. They truly earned it, as they beat the top two teams (in terms of record) in the NBA, Cleveland and Orlando, 4 games to 2 in each series. The Magic made the series very interesting after falling behind 3 games to none, but their season ends in disappointment. They will have to watch the NBA Finals this year instead of participating like last year.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 28 points (11 of 17 FGs, 6 of 12 FTs), 12 rebounds, 2 steals
Vince Carter: 17 points (6 of 15 FGs, 1 of 4 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 11 points (5 of 14 FGs, 1 of 5 3 PT FGs), 4 assists, 5 turnovers

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 43.1% (31 of 72) BOS 42.7% (32 of 75)
3 PT FG%: BOS 45.5% (10 of 22) ORL 27.3% (6 of 22)
FT%: BOS 81.5% (22 of 27) ORL 59.3% (16 of 27)
REB: BOS 45 (11 offensive) ORL 35 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 19/17 ORL 14/12
BENCH: ORL 20 BOS 19

Other game notes and stats:

-In addition to Nate Robinson, four other Celtics scored in double figures, led by Paul Pierce with 31 points (9 of 15 FGs, 4 of 5 3 PT FGs, 9 of 10 FTs), 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals; Ray Allen added 20 points; Rajon Rondo 14 points, 6 assists, and Kevin Garnett 10 points
-Rashard Lewis (7 points) and Matt Barnes (1 point) combined for just 8 points on 3 of 11 FGs as Barnes did not attempt a FG
-J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus each scored 7 points to lead the Magic reserves
-Glen Davis, coming off a concussion in Game 5, scored 6 points with 7 rebounds off the Celtics' bench
-After leading Boston in scoring in Game 5, Rasheed Wallace went scoreless on 0 for 5 FGs off the Celtics' bench in Game 6
-The Celtics missed 12 of 13 FGs with 2 turnovers in the 7:01 span of the fourth quarter when the Magic outscored the Celtics 13-3, but the Magic shot just 4 of 9 from the field and 4 of 8 from the free throw line with 2 turnovers during that same span

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

ECF Game 6 Preview

2010-05-28T04:42:00.003-04:00

8:30 PM ESPN

Boston center Glen Davis will be a game-time decision for Friday's Game 6 against the Orlando Magic, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers was encouraged by what he saw of his valuable sub Thursday.

"Baby looked fine, but he still has to go through a couple of tests this evening," Rivers said of Davis.

Here is the rest of the article from espn.com

Here is the complete preview of Game 6 from Yahoo! Sports.

The Celtics are 3 1/2 point favorites at -160 odds to win Game 6.

For the series, the Celtics are a -300 favorite to win, while the Magic are a +220 underdog.

Boston's Perkins to play in Game 6

2010-05-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

The NBA on Thursday rescinded one of the two technical fouls assessed to Celtics center Kendrick Perkins in Boston's loss to Orlando in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night, meaning Perkins will be available to play in Friday's Game 6.

Here is the rest of the article from espn.com.

Game 5 ECF: Magic 113, Celtics 92... Celtics lead the series 3-2

2010-05-27T04:23:00.006-04:00

The Orlando Magic are now halfway to making NBA history, thanks to a dominating effort that saw them break the game open in the fourth quarter. Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson led the way again for the Magic, with Howard scoring 21 points along with 10 rebounds and 5 blocks; Nelson led all scorers with 24 points along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds.

Gregg Doyel of cbssports.com writes how the physical play of Dwight Howard changed the game drastically in the Magic's favor.

Chris Sheridan of espn.com writes that it's a whole new series now.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes that the tone of the series has changed dramatically because Boston is battered, beleaguered, and no longer playing peerless ball.

Boston's Kendrick Perkins was hit with two technical fouls in the first half, and will be suspended for Game 6 unless one of the technicals is rescinded.

Boston's Glen "Big Baby" Davis suffered a concussion when hit with an accidental elbow from Howard late in the third quarter.

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

Viral infection hampering Lewis

2010-05-26T14:27:00.004-04:00

"Overall it effects you," Lewis said after Orlando's shootaround Wednesday. "I've been throwing up. I haven't been at full strength. I've been feeling weak, my legs been feeling weak. I find myself getting tired very fast in the first quarter. You know, when you can't hold food down you have no energy in your body to go out there and perform."

Here is the complete article from espn.com.

Game 4 ECF Preview

2010-05-26T03:44:00.005-04:00

8:30 PM ESPN

Columnist Ian Thomsen of SI.com details how Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson stepped up for the Magic in Game 4.

Adrian Wojnarowski believes the Magic still have no chance of winning this series.

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 4 point favorites at -175 odds.

ECF Game 4: Magic 96, Celtics 92 OT... Celtics lead series 3-1

2010-05-25T02:38:00.003-04:00

The Orlando Magic stave off elimination in a tense, exciting game, thanks to terrific efforts from Dwight Howard (32 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Jameer Nelson (23 points, 9 assists, including two clutch threes in OT). The Magic were able to overcome 13 missed free throws and 19 turnovers, along with a 31 point effort from Boston's Paul Pierce.

The Magic finally got off to a good start, as the Celtics' had a brief lead of 5-4 before the Magic turned it on, leading by as much as 23-15 in the opening quarter. The Celtics went on a 7-1 run to cut the Magic lead to 24-22, but the Magic went into the second quarter with a 31-26 lead. The Magic maintained their lead in the second quarter, leading by as much as 42-32, but the Celtics made the game close at the half, trailing just 51-47.

The Magic led by as many as 8 points early in the third, but Boston cut the Magic lead to 56-55 with 8:06 remaining. The Magic were able to maintain their slim lead the rest of the quarter, until Ray Allen's 2 free throws in the final minute made the score 68-67 Boston going into the fourth. The Magic took the lead back right away to open the fourth, going ahead 74-70. The Celtics countered with a 6-0 run to lead 76-74 with 5:33 remaining. The Magic then went on a 11-2 run over the next 3:09 to seemingly take control of the game 85-78 with 2:24 remaining. A Ray Allen three and two Paul Pierce buckets along with a free throw tied the game at 86 with 1:16 remaining. There would be no more scoring the final 1:16, as Nelson missed a shot with 17.8 seconds remaining, and Boston could not even get a shot off in their final possession.

Both teams started slow in the OT, as the Magic missed a field goal attempt, two free throws, and committed two turnovers in the first two minutes of the OT, while the Celtics missed all four shots during that span. Nelson then made two clutch three pointers in 43 seconds, with the first three pointer banking in. Two Allen three pointers got the Celtics to within 94-92 with 1:13 remaining, but the Celtics missed their final three shots and committed a turnover while Howard's layup for the Magic with 52.7 seconds remaining provided the final margin of victory.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 32 points (13 of 19 FGs, 6 of 14 FTs), 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 turnovers
Jameer Nelson: 23 points (7 of 14 FGs, 3 of 6 3 PT FGs), 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 turnovers
Rashard Lewis: 13 points (4 of 10 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
J.J. Redick: 12 points (3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 4 turnovers
Matt Barnes: 10 points (4 of 8 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 44.6% (33 of 74) BOS 42.1% (32 of 76)
3 PT FG%: ORL 35.7% (10 of 28) BOS 27.8% (5 of 18)
FT%: BOS 76.7% (23 of 30) ORL 60.6% (20 of 33)
REB: BOS 47 (10 offensive) ORL 43 (11 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 19/16 ORL 19/19
BENCH: ORL 15 BOS 12

Other game notes and stats:

-Three Celtics scored in double figures, led by Pierce's 32 points, but shot just 11 of 25 FGs, including 0 for 6 on threes; Ray Allen scored 22 points and shot 5 of 7 from long range, and Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 12 rebounds, but shot just 5 of 12
-Rajon Rondo of the Celtics was held to 9 points on 3 of 10 shooting and 8 assists; Glen Davis added 6 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, while Rasheed Wallace was held to 4 points on 2 of 7 shooting
-The Magic's Vince Carter scored just 3 points on 1 of 9 FGs, including 0 for 3 on threes
-Carter and Mickael Pietrus combined to shoot 1 of 13, including 0 for 6 on threes
-The "Big Three" of the Celtics (Pierce, Allen, and Garnett) scored 68 of the Celtics' 93 points
-The Celtics shot just 2 of 10 in the OT with 1 turnover, while the Magic shot 4 of 7 despite 4 OT turnovers and 3 missed free throws
-Brandon Bass finally saw action as the primary PF backup for the Magic, playing 11 minutes with 3 points and 2 rebounds, and also altered a Celtics' shot

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

Game 4 ECF Preview

2010-05-24T04:58:00.002-04:00

8:30 PM ESPN

The Magic have been getting roasted in the national media for their Game 3 performance, this column by Mike Freeman of cbssports.com being an example.

John Hollinger of espn.com details how the Celtics have been able to frustrate the Magic, and the outstanding play of Boston's Rajon Rondo.

Here is the complete Game 4 preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Celtics are 7 point favorites at -350 odds to win Game 4.

ECF Game 3: Celtics 94, Magic 71... Boston leads series 3-0

2010-05-23T01:47:00.000-04:00

Boston dominated every facet of the game from start to finish as the Orlando Magic turned in an inexplicably abysmal performance in a game they had to win if they had any hopes of advancing to the NBA Finals; instead, the game was over after the third quarter as the Celtics had a staggering 28 point lead heading into the fourth. Six Celtics players scored between 10 and 17 points.

Boston jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, as the Magic did not score their first points until they were 3:43 into the game. The Magic then scored the next six points to make it 7-6, as it appeared they weathered the early Boston storm. The Celtics then surged ahead with a 14-0 run to go ahead 21-6, and had a solid 27-12 lead going into the second quarter, as the Magic shot a pitiful 4 of 17 in the first. The Celtics kept adding onto their lead in the second, with their largest lead of the half coming at 43-19 with 6:39 remaining. The Magic went on a brief 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 16 points and give their fans hope they had a big comeback left in them, but the Celtics quickly built their lead back up to 50-29. The Magic scored the last 5 points of the half, but still trailed big 51-34.

The closest the Magic came in the second half was when Rashard Lewis scored the first basket of the third quarter to make it 51-36. The Celtics then scored 5 points in a row to move their lead back up to 20 points, and led 62-43 halfway through the third. That was the last time the Magic were within 20 points as the Celtics outscored the Magic 13-4 the final six minutes of the third quarter and led by a stunning 75-47 going into the fourth. The Celtic's largest lead of the game was 85-53 with 8:13 remaining. Needless to say, the rest of the fourth quarter was garbage time for both teams, as the Magic wrapped up their worst offensive performance of the season on J.J. Redick's three pointer on their final possession.

Magic leading scorers

Jameer Nelson: 15 points (5 of 14 FGs, 3 of 9 3 PT FGs), 4 rebounds, 4 turnovers
Vince Carter: 15 points (5 of 12 FGs, 1 of 5 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 12 points (3 of 6 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: BOS 46.6% (34 of 73) ORL 36.9% (24 of 65)
3 PT FG%: BOS 54.5% (6 of 11) ORL 26.7% (8 of 30)
FT%: ORL 83.3% (15 of 18) BOS 71.4% (20 of 28)
REB: BOS 43 (7 offensive) ORL 36 (3 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 23/9 ORL 10/17
BENCH: BOS 38 ORL 28

Other game notes and stats:

-Reserve Glen Davis led Boston with 17 points and 6 rebounds; Paul Pierce added 15 points; 9 rebounds, Ray Allen 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists; Rajon Rondo 11 points, 12 assists, 4 steals; Kevin Garnett 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals; and reserve Rasheed Wallace 10 points, 4 rebounds
-The Magic starting frontline of Dwight Howard (7 points on 3 of 10 FGs), Rashard Lewis (4 points on 2 of 8 FGs), and Matt Barnes (2 points on 1 of 2 shooting) combined to score 13 points on 6 of 20 FGs with 13 rebounds
-The Celtics' starting frontline combined to score 31 points on 13 of 25 FGs with 21 rebounds and 5 steals
-Nelson and Carter combined to shoot 10 of 26 FGs
-Carter and Lewis combined to shoot 1 of 9 on three pointers
-Howard went to the free throw line just four times, making one
-Howard led the Magic with 7 rebounds and 3 blocks; reserve Marcin Gortat grabbed 6 boards
-Three different Magic players (Barnes, Carter, Redick) had 2 assists to lead the team

Game 4 will be Monday night in Boston, as the Magic try and avoid the sweep and will attempt to become the first NBA team to overcome a three games to none deficit in games in the playoffs.

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

Game 3 ECF Preview

2010-05-22T04:57:00.003-04:00

8:30 ESPN

Here is an excerpt from the Yahoo! Sports preview:

“We’ve won there before, and there’s no reason we can’t do it again,” forward Rashard Lewis said Friday as the Magic prepared for Game 3. “Boston came to us and beat us twice on our home court, so it’s happened before. Why can’t we do it? Why can’t it happen again?”

Orlando was one of two teams—Atlanta was the other—to win twice in Boston this year. The Magic also remember coming to town in last year’s playoffs, when they beat Boston twice—including the Celtics’ first-ever loss at home in a seventh game—to advance to the conference finals.

“Last year, Boston never lost a Game 7 on their home floor. We went in and beat them,” Lewis said. “It can happen.”

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Celtics are 3 1/2 point favorites at -170 odds to win Game 3.

For the series, the Celtics are -500 odds to win, while the Magic are +375 underdogs.

Denton: Magic remain confident

2010-05-21T05:07:00.005-04:00

John Denton writes about the Magic on the official team website.

Here is some of what he had to write after the Magic's Game 2 loss:

The second-seeded Magic, winners of 59 regular-season games and victors in the first eight games of the postseason, vowed that these Eastern Conference Finals are far from over. But before they can talk of getting back in the series they must first figure out how to win a game – and do so at Boston’s TD Garden on Saturday night.

(Dwight) Howard brazenly said the Magic are far from dead in this series. And he told his teammates as much in the locker room on Wednesday, stressing that total belief was needed in order for the Magic to pull off a stunning turnaround.

Here is the complete article from Denton.

Reactions on the Magic/Celtics series so far from the internet

2010-05-20T01:34:00.003-04:00

Henry Abbott of espn.com writes that Dwight Howard won't be suspended for Game 3 for his flagrant foul on Paul Pierce.

John Hollinger of espn.con writes that the Celtics are proving you can turn it on and off.

On the same thread, Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago writes about the Magic's critical miscues in the final minute of Game 2.

CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel, who was very critical of Dwight Howard in Game 1, praises Howard for his Game 2 performance, but criticizes the other Magic players.

David Whitley of fanhouse.com writes about how the Celtics are doing the little things that get you the win, while the Magic are not.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes that the Magic are in very deep trouble.

On the other hand, Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie from Yahoo! Sports writes how the Celtics have executed their game plan to perfection, but not to be surprised if the Magic win Games 3 and 4 in Boston.

Game 2 ECF: Celtics 95, Magic 92... Celtics lead series 2-0

2010-05-19T04:10:00.004-04:00

Boston has taken control of the series thanks to 28 points from SF Paul Pierce and 25 points and 8 assists from PG Rajon Rondo. The Magic, led by Dwight Howard's 30 points, trailed most of the game as another frantic fourth quarter comeback attempt fell just short.

The Magic got out to their first lead of the series early in the first quarter, leading 5-4 and 10-9, before Boston went on a 14-2 run to take a 23-12 lead with 4:43 remaining. The Magic then went on a 16-2 surge, sparked by J.J. Redick scoring 9 of those points, to take a 28-25 lead before the Celtics cut the Magic lead to 28-27 after one. The second quarter was close throughout, as the Celtics' largest lead of the quarter coming at 41-36 and 53-48, but the Magic were able to close their deficit to 53-51 at the half. Dwight Howard was called for a Flagrant 1 foul after fouling Paul Pierce hard with 4:16 remaining in the half.

The Magic took the lead briefly in the third at 59-57, but then went 6:18 without a field goal and just one free throw as the Celtics went on a 13-1 run for their largest lead of the quarter at 70-60 with 4:49 left in the third. The Magic cut their deficit to single digits after three quarters 78-70. Rasheed Wallace's three pointer to open the fourth gave the Celtics their largest lead of the game at 81-70. The Magic went on a 13-4 run to cut their deficit to 85-83 with 6:57 remaining. The Magic took their last lead of the game 90-89 on a Vince Carter jumper with
3:36 remaining, before the Celtics took the lead back for good 91-90. Redick was then called for a questionable offensive foul on the ensuing possession, with the Celtics then going ahead 93-90. A Jameer Nelson driving layup with 55.8 seconds remaining cut the Boston lead to 93-92, then two Pierce free throws gave Boston a 95-92 lead with 34.7 seconds remaining. Carter was fouled with 31.4 seconds left, but missed both free throws. Garnett missed a jumper with 8.9 seconds left, with Redick getting the rebound but advancing the ball instead of calling timeout right away, meaning the Magic had to inbound the ball at halfcourt instead of closer to their basket. A 35 foot running three pointer by Nelson barely grazed the outside of the net as time ran out on what may have been the last game ever at Amway Arena.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 30 points (9 of 13 FGs, 12 of 17 FTs), 8 rebounds
Vince Carter: 16 points (5 of 15 FGs, 5 of 7 FTs), 3 steals
J.J. Redick (bench): 16 points (3 of 9 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PGs, 8 of 8 FTs), 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Overall Game Stats

FG%: BOS 45.9% (34 of 74) ORL 39.4% (28 of 71)
3 PT FG%: ORL 38.9% (7 of 18) BOS 33.3% (5 of 15)
FT%: BOS 78.6% (22 of 28) ORL 76.3% (29 of 38)
REB: BOS 38 (9 offensive) ORL 36 (10 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 20/15 ORL 18/14
BENCH: ORL 26 BOS 18

Other game notes and stats:

-Four Celtics scored in double figures, led by Pierce's 28 points on 8 of 16 FGs and 9 of 11 FTs along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists before fouling out late; Rondo scored 25 points on 10 of 16 FGs, and 5 of 6 FTs along with 8 assists; Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins each added 10 points
-The Celtics' Ray Allen was held to 4 points on 1 of 6 shooting
-Glen Davis led the Celtics' bench with 8 points and 6 rebounds
-Nelson (9 points), Rashard Lewis (5 points) and Matt Barnes (6 points) combined to score 20 points on 8 of 27 FGs, including 2 of 8 on threes for the Magic
-Other than Howard and Marcin Gortat (1 of 1 FGs), the seven other Magic players combined to shoot 18 of 57 from the field and no one else shot 50% or better
-Lewis attempted just 6 FGs in 41 minutes
-Lewis, Nelson, and Redick each had 4 assists
-The Celtics were called for 29 team fouls, with Pierce and Perkins fouling out, while the Magic were called for 25 team fouls with Howard and Carter with 4 fouls apiece

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

Game 2 ECF Preview

2010-05-18T05:28:00.005-04:00

8:30 PM ESPN

From the Orlando Magic press release:The Orlando Magic will try to utilize their Game 1 defeat to the Boston Celtics as a wake-up call and a reason to exert even more effort at practice as they gear up for Game 2, which tips off on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Game 1 obviously didn’t go as planned for the Magic, but as this team has proven all season long, they are driven to bounce back from adversity.

Sunday’s loss was the first defeat for Orlando since April 2. It had won 14 consecutive games, including an 8-0 start to the postseason.

“Our team has responded to everything,” Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Our guys aren't going to fall apart.”

The best news from Game 1 was that the Magic battled back from a 20-point deficit, 17 in the fourth quarter, to close within two in the final 10 seconds. They showed tremendous determination and resilience, but Boston managed to hit its free throws to seal the victory.
“It's going to be a battle,” said Vince Carter, who led Orlando with 23 points. “It’s going to be a war.”
The outcome of this series may come down to how well Dwight Howard, the league’s best defensive player, performs. The four-time All-Star didn’t find his offensive rhythm in Game 1, finishing with 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field.

“I just have to come back in Game 2 and not try to force anything,” Howard said. “But at the same time just still be aggressive.”

Many NBA critics and spectators are already blaming Orlando’s meager shooting performance (5-of-22 from 3-point range) on the extended layoff. While the Celtics just came off an exhilarating series triumph over the top-seeded Cavaliers on the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Magic earned rest for their dominant performance against the Hawks.

But, Orlando doesn’t think rust had anything to do with it.

“We were just anxious,” D12 said. “I think they did a lot of good things on defense.”

Game 2 now sets up to be the most important contest of the year for the Magic. It’s extremely rare for teams, especially when they started the series at home, to overcome a 2-0 deficit and advance.
There is no doubt that Van Gundy and the rest of the coaching staff will have the Magic prepared to even up the series before heading to Boston for Games 3 and 4.

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports details in his column about how tough the Boston defense really was in Game 1.

Here is a column from cbssports.com columnist Gregg Doyel that is very harsh on the Magic's Dwight Howard.

Bleacher Report writer Adam Davis writes how the Magic showed their toughness in the Game 1 loss.

The Magic are 7 point favorites at -330 odds to win Game 2.

Game 1 ECF: Celtics 92, Magic 88... Celtics lead series 1-0

2010-05-16T23:21:00.002-04:00

The Orlando Magic received a wakeup call Sunday afternoon as Boston led from start to finish and dominated the first three quarters, leading by as much as 20 points in the third quarter. The Celtics still led by 13 points with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before a frantic Magic rally pulled them as close as 2 points in the final seconds, but the Celtics were able to answer and hold off the Magic. Ray Allen led all scorers with 25 points while Vince Carter led the Magic with 23 points.

The Magic had quite possibly their worst quarter of the season in the first quarter, as they shot just 4 of 20, including 0 for 3 from long range, and committed 4 turnovers. The Celtics were held to under 40% shooting, though, in the first but led 22-14 going into the second thanks to the ineptness of the Magic. The Celtics extended their lead in the second to as much as 31-16 and were able to maintain a double digit lead for most of the quarter. The Magic were able to cut their deficit to single digits 41-32 at the half.

The Magic started quickly in the second half, cutting the Boston lead to 43-40 thanks to 8 points in two minutes by Jameer Nelson. It was 45-42 Boston when the Celtics went on a 20-3 tear in 5:24 to extend their lead to 65-45 with 3:49 remaining in the third quarter. The Celtics went into the fourth quarter with a seemingly comfortable 74-58 lead. The Celtics led by as much as 77-60 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, and 88-75 with 5:34 remaining. The Celtics then went 5:22 without scoring as the Magic scored 10 points in a row to cut their deficit to 88-85 before Paul Pierce's two free throws with 12.9 seconds remaining. The Magic, trailing 90-85, then got a three point play the hard way as Vince Carter was fouled with 9.4 seconds remaining, made the first free throw, purposely missed the second with Nelson sneaking in for the tip to cut the Celtics' lead to 90-88 with 8.4 seconds remaining. Two Ray Allen free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining made it a two-possession game and effectively ended the Magic comeback attempt.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 23 points (9 of 18 FGs, 5 of 6 FTs), 5 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 20 points (8 of 18 FGs, 2 of 7 3 PT FGs), 9 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 13 points (3 of 10 FGs, 7 of 12 FTs), 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 7 turnovers

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: BOS 44.6% (33 of 74) ORL 41.6% (32 of 77)
3 PT FG%: BOS 42.9% (6 of 14) ORL 22.7% (5 of 22)
FT%: BOS 76.9% (20 of 26) ORL 73.1% (19 of 26)
REB: ORL 45 (15 offensive) BOS 38 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 21/16 ORL 10/18
BENCH: BOS 25 ORL 24

Other game notes and stats:

-The Celtics had three players in double figures, led by Ray Allen with 25 points on 8 of 16 shooting with 7 rebounds; Paul Pierce added 22 points on just 8 shots, shooting 6 for 8, including 2 of 3 on threes, and 8 of 10 from the free throw line with 9 rebounds; and Rasheed Wallace added 13 points off the bench
-The Celtics' Kevin Garnett added 8 points on just 4 of 14 shooting, but grabbed 11 rebounds, and PG Rajon Rondo scored 8 points with 8 assists
-J.J. Redick scored 9 points off the Magic bench to lead the reserves, while Marcin Gortat scored 6 points, all in the first half along with 5 rebounds
-The Magic starting frontcourt were held to a combined 6 of 24 shooting (Lewis and Barnes 3 of 14), including 0 for 7 on threes, for 21 points; The Celtics' starting frontcourt combined for 34 points
-Lewis (o for 6) and Magic reserve Mickael Pietrus (1 for 4) combined to shoot 1 for 10 on three pointers
-Matt Barnes, who had a sore back coming into the game, played just 15 1/2 minutes and scored just 2 points along with 3 rebounds
-During the Celtics' 20-3 run during the third quarter, the Magic were 1 of 7 on FGs, 1 of 4 on FTs with 4 turnovers during this span, while the Celtics shot 7 of 8 FGs and 4 of 4 on FTs
-When the Celtics went 5:22 without scoring late in the fourth quarter, they shot 0 for 5 FGs and 0 for 2 FTs with 3 turnovers, but the Magic shot just 4 of 10 during that span with 2 of 2 FTs

The Magic will try and pull even in the series Tuesday night.

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

Here is an article from cbssports.com detailing how rusty the Magic were for much of Game 1, and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's take on the game.

Game 1 ECF preview

2010-05-16T04:48:00.003-04:00

3:30 PM ABC

Magic SF Matt Barnes still plans to start Game 1 despite missing practice due to back spasms.

Here is the Game 1 preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 6 1/2 point favorites at -300 odds to win Game 1.

Celtics/Magic matchups and preview

2010-05-15T04:15:00.005-04:00

Here are the playoff statistics for each team at their respective positions, with the Celtics listed first. Of course, individual matchups will vary at different points in the games between the two teams.

PG... Rajon Rondo: 18.0 ppg, 11.1 asts, 6.3 rebs
Jameer Nelson: 20.5 ppg, 5.2 asts, 2.6 rebs

EDGE: Magic
A terrific matchup here, with a healthy Nelson one of the reasons why the Magic are better than last season's Eastern Conference champs, while Rondo starred against Cleveland. Nelson is the decidedly better outside shooter between the two, which could give the Magic a slight edge.

SG... Ray Allen: 17.4 ppg, 3.0 rebs, 2.8 asts
Vince Carter: 16.9 ppg, 4.5 rebs, 2.4 asts

EDGE: Even
Carter came alive and played well in the second round after a sluggish performance in the first round against Charlotte, while Allen has had a good playoffs.

SF... Paul Pierce: 16.3 ppg, 5.1 rebs, 3.5 asts
Matt Barnes: 7.4 ppg, 4.8 rebs, 1.6 asts

EDGE: Celtics
Barnes will not defend Pierce, as Carter will get the call while Barnes defends Ray Allen, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

PF: Kevin Garnett: 17.6 ppg, 8.3 rebs, 2.3 asts
Rashard Lewis: 16.4 ppg, 5.5 rebs, 2.6 asts

EDGE: Celtics
Garnett is healthy and playing well, while Lewis has had a solid playoffs and is shooting well. Garnett is the better defensive player which gives the Celtics a slight edge.

C: Kendrick Perkins: 6.3 ppg, 7.3 rebs
Dwight Howard: 15.4 ppg, 11.2 rebs

EDGE: Magic
Perkins has given Howard problems in the past down low defensively, so it will be interesting to see how Howard does offensively and if Perkins can get him in foul trouble, but D12 played well in the Atlanta series after being frustrated by Charlotte.

RESERVES... Tony Allen (7.5 ppg, 2.4 rebs), Glen Davis (7.4 ppg, 3.7 rebs), Rasheed Wallace (5.1 ppg, 2.2 rebs), Nate Robinson (3.0 ppg), Michael Finley (1.4 ppg)
Mickael Pietrus (10.2 ppg), J.J. Redick (4.8 ppg), Marcin Gortat (3.9 ppg, 4.5 rebs), Ryan Anderson (2.9 ppg, 3.6 rebs), Jason Williams (1.8 ppg, 1.5 asts)

EDGE: Magic
Boston's reserves really stepped up against Cleveland, while Pietrus continues to play well in the playoffs for the Magic, just like last season. Other Magic reserves have not seen as much playing time in the playoffs as the regular season, so their averages are down somewhat. Still, the Magic reserves have the slight edge, with Gortat playing well on the occasions Howard has been in foul trouble.

According to sportsbook.com, the Magic are -260 favorites (wagering $260 to win $100 plus the original wager) to win the series, while the Celtics are +210 underdogs (wagering $100 to win $210 plus the original wager).

This article from Wil Bradley of Bleacher Report details six reasons why the Magic will remain Eastern Conference Champions.

Here is a preview of the Magic/Celtics series from Yahoo! Sports.

Celtics complete shocking series victory over Cavaliers

2010-05-14T04:12:00.002-04:00

Five players scored in double figures for Boston, compared to just three players for Cleveland, and the Celtics' reserves outscored the Cavaliers' reserves 24-13 as Boston will now face the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs' LeBron James had a triple/double with 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, but had a disastrous 9 turnovers as the Cavs shot just 38% and turned the ball over 22 times.

Game 1 between the Celtics and Magic will be Sunday afternoon and Game 2 Tuesday evening as the Magic enjoy the homecourt advantage.

Here is the complete recap from Yahoo! Sports of the Celtics' win.

Jameer Nelson's great leap forward

2010-05-13T05:17:00.003-04:00

"Now, he's a tough guy. He's a little guy, but he's a tough guy. Plays with his heart," ESPN color commentator Hubie Brown said after Nelson toyed with Joe Johnson on his way to the tin for a layup in the third quarter of Game 2. "See, he's going to challenge you. Size? No problem here."

Read the rest of the article by Dan Devine from Yahoo! Sports Ball Don't Lie.

Can the Magic possibly go 16-0 in the playoffs?

2010-05-13T05:08:00.004-04:00

From Magic SG Vince Carter:

"When you're playing this well, you don't want to lose at all," said Vince Carter. "You want teams to always have fear in their minds and think: We can't beat these guys. You never want to have a nick in your armour. When you're playing this well, why not stay flawless if you can? I'd like to go 16-0."

Read the rest of the article by Trey Kirby of Yahoo! Sports Ball Don't Lie.

Celtics demolish Cavaliers to take a 3-2 series lead

2010-05-12T04:17:00.002-04:00

In stunning fashion, Boston handed Cleveland their worst home playoff loss in their history, as six Celtic players scored in double figures, led by Ray Allen with 25 points. The "Big Three" of Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce combined for 64 points. Meantime, the Cavaliers' LeBron James had one of the worst games of his playoff career, scoring 15 points on 3 of 14 shooting. Shaquille O'Neal led the Cavs with 21 points.

The Celtics can close out the Cavs in Game 6 Thursday in Boston.

Here is the complete recap and box score from Yahoo! Sports.

Game 4 ECSF: Magic 98, Hawks 84... Magic win series 4-0

2010-05-11T00:23:00.002-04:00

The Orlando Magic completed a historic four game sweep against Atlanta, as their margin of victory in the four games was 101 points, which is the most in a 4 game sweep in NBA history. Five Magic players scored in double figures, led by Vince Carter's 22 points, as the Magic connected on 16 three pointers. The Magic led by 21 points late before the Hawks scored the game's final 7 points.

The Magic led from start to finish, as they jumped out quickly on the Hawks to lead by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and led 34-23 after one. The Hawks attempted to make a game of it in the second quarter after falling behind 44-30, coming as close as 46-40 as the Magic led 53-45 at the half. The Magic quickly went ahead 64-47 in the third quarter, but the Hawks gradually cut into the lead, cutting their deficit to 75-66 after three. The Magic scored the first 9 points of the fourth quarter to lead 84-66, and that was the game for all intents and purposes, as the Magic led by as much as 93-71 with 4:34 remaining as the Magic cruised to one of the most dominant series sweeps in NBA history.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 22 points (7 of 12 FGs, 4 of 7 3 PT FGs), 4 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 17 points (6 of 10 FGs, 4 of 7 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Jameer Nelson: 16 points (7 of 11 FGs), 9 assists, 2 steals
Dwight Howard: 13 points (5 of 5 FGs), 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 7 turnovers
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 12 points (4 of 8 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 55.4% (36 of 65) ATL 40.5% (30 of 74)
3 PT FG%: ORL 43.2% (16 of 37) ATL 25% (3 of 12)
FT%: ATL 72.4% (21 of 29) ORL 52.6% (10 of 19)
REB: ORL 37 (3 offensive) ATL 30 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 27/16 ATL 17/8
BENCH: ATL 35 ORL 24

Other game stats and notes

-Four Hawks scored in double figures, led by reserve Jamal Crawford with 18 points, but shot just 5 of 15; Josh Smith added 16 points, 8 rebounds and Joe Johnson scored 14 points with 5 assists, but shot just 5 of 15
-The Magic starters combined to score 74 points on 28 of 45 FGs (62.2%), including 9 of 21 3 PT FGs; the Hawks' starters combined to score 49 points on 19 of 47 FGs (40.4%), including 1 of 7 3 PT FGs
-The Magic outscored the Hawks 88-63 from the field, including 48-9 on three pointers
-The Magic shot 20 of 28 on two pointers (71.4%)
-Johnson and Crawford combined to shoot just 10 of 30 for the Hawks
-Magic reserve Jason Williams scored 6 points on 2 three point FGs, and added 4 assists; Ryan Anderson grabbed 8 rebounds in 14:24 off the bench
-All of Pietrus's 8 FG attempts were 3 point attempts

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

Game 4 preview

2010-05-10T04:12:00.002-04:00

Monday 8 PM TNT

The Magic will try to put Atlanta out of their misery Monday night as they attempt to sweep the Hawks out of the playoffs.

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic, who were only 2 1/2 point favorites Saturday, are 6 point favorites Monday over the Hawks.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a tough time in their series as Rajon Rondo's amazing triple double of 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists led the Celtics to a 97-87 triumph over the Cavaliers and a 2-2 series tie. The Magic will await the winner.

Game 3 ECSF: Magic 105, Hawks 75... Magic lead series 3-0

2010-05-08T21:01:00.000-04:00

The Orlando Magic are one win away from their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance with yet another dominating performance against Atlanta, as the Hawks never had the lead in this game with the Magic solidly outshooting and outrebounding the Hawks. Five Magic players finished in double figures, with Rashard Lewis leading the way with 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

The last tie of the game was 11-11 with 6:49 left in the first when the Magic went on a 17-7 run and led 28-18 after one. The Magic maintained their double digit lead throughout the second quarter, and finished the quarter on a 9-2 run to lead comfortably 52-33 at the half. The Hawks, who were 34-7 at home this season, figured to make a run in the second half but never did, as the Magic continued to extend their lead in the third quarter and led by as much as 77-51 with under two minutes remaining before settling for a 79-55 after three. The Hawks never got closer than 21 points in the final quarter, and the Magic's largest lead was 90-59 at the 7:41 mark. The Magic cruised on to the 30 point win.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 22 points (8 of 13 FGs, 4 of 7 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 21 points (6 of 8 FGs, 9 of 18 FTs), 16 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 14 points (4 of 9 FGs, 5 of 6 FTs), 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): (4 of 10 FGs, 3 of 7 3 PT FGs), 4 rebounds
Matt Barnes: 11 points (5 of 9 FGs), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 50.7% (36 of 71) ATL 34.9% (29 of 83)
3 PT FG%: ORL 34.5% (10 of 29) ATL 26.7% (4 of 15)
FT%: ATL 68.4% (13 of 19) ORL 67.6% (23 of 34)
REB: ORL 51 (10 offensive) ATL 34 (12 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 21/9 ATL 9/8
BENCH: ORL 30 ATL 28

Other game notes and stats:

-Three Hawks finished in double figures, led by reserve Jamal Crawford with 22 points; Josh Smith added a double/double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and Al Horford scored 11 points with 8 rebounds
-Hawks' All-Star SG Joe Johnson was held to 8 points on 3 of 15 shooting
-Horford led the Hawks with 3 assists
-No Hawks' player shot 50% or better
-The Magic starters outscored the Hawks' starters 75-47
-Vince Carter was the only Magic starter not to finish in double figures with 7 points on 2 of 5 shooting, but deferred to the other players and had 3 assists
-Other than Crawford, the Hawks' reserves scored a combined 6 points on 3 of 11 shooting
-The Magic reserves outrebounded the Hawks' reserves 18-6, with Marcin Gortat and Ryan Anderson each grabbing 6 boards
-Lewis (35:44) and Howard (38:22) were the only Magic players to play over 30 minutes: Howard finished with 4 fouls

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

Game 3 preview

2010-05-08T05:08:00.002-04:00

Saturday 5 PM ESPN

Here is the Game 3 preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 2 point favorites.

Game 2: Magic 112, Hawks 98... Magic lead series 2-0

2010-05-07T04:11:00.003-04:00

After being embarrassed by 43 points Monday, Atlanta managed to stay competitive for three quarters against the Magic in Game 2 as they were more aggressive driving to the hoop and drawing fouls and connecting with their three pointers, but the Magic's superiority showed in the fourth quarter as the Magic put the game away with a 21-3 run and four Magic players finished with at least 20 points.

The game started as if it were going to be a Magic blowout early, as the Magic opened up with leads of 8-2 and 20-11 and finished the quarter with a 32-25 lead as Dwight Howard scored 18 first quarter points. The Hawks came on strong in the second quarter, opening with a 15-2 run to lead 40-34 and maintained a lead the rest of the half, as Howard sat much of the quarter to rest and picked up his third foul shortly after he came back in. The Hawks led 57-49 at the half. The Magic scored the first 9 points of the second half to take back the lead by a point, but the rest of the quarter was a seesaw battle which saw the Magic take an 84-83 lead after three after Jameer Nelson's buzzer-beating three pointer. The Hawks trailed 88-87 with 10:31 remaining when the Magic put the game away with their 21-3 run to lead 109-90 with 3:50 remaining, as the Hawks could get no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 29 points (8 of 9 FGs, 13 of 18 FTs), 17 rebounds
Vince Carter: 24 points (9 of 16 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 20 points (7 of 13 FGs, 3 of 8 3 PT FGs), 6 assists
Jameer Nelson: 20 points (7 of 14 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs), 6 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 13 points (4 of 8 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Stats

FG%: ORL 55.9% (38 of 68) ATL 41.3% (31 of 75)
3 PT FG%: ATL 54.5% (6 of 11) ORL 39.1% (9 of 23)
FT%: ATL 96.8% (30 of 31) ORL 69.2% (27 of 39)
REB: ATL 41 (16 offensive) ORL 35 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 16/9 ATL 16/12
BENCH: ATL 25 ORL 15

Other game notes and stats:

-Four Atlanta players finished in double figures, led by Al Horford with 24 points, 10 rebounds; Jamal Crawford added 23 points off the bench, Joe Johnson scored 19 points and Josh Smith 18 points with 9 rebounds; Marvin Williams led the Hawks with 11 rebounds
-Johnson and Crawford combined to shoot 12 of 34 from the field, but 5 of 10 on three pointers
-The Magic outscored the Hawks 63-41 in the second half on 21 of 34 shooting
-The Hawks made their first 28 FTs before missing one
-Howard played 39 minutes, and committed 5 fouls
-Pietrus scored 13 of the Magic's 15 bench points, while Crawford scored 23 of the Hawks' 25 bench points
-The Magic starters outscored the Hawks' starters 97-73
-The Magic outscored the hawks 85-68 from the field
-The five Magic starters combined to shoot 60% from the field (33 of 55)
-During the Magic's 21-3 4th quarter run, the Magic made 7 of 8 shots while the Hawks shot 1 of 11

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

Also, the All-NBA Team was chosen Thursday, with Dwight Howard a unanimous choice, along with LeBron James.

Game 2 preview

2010-05-06T05:18:00.002-04:00

8:00 PM ESPN

Here is the Game 2 preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 9 1/2 point favorites.

Game 1: Magic 114, Hawks 71... Magic lead series 1-0

2010-05-04T23:29:00.002-04:00

The Orlando Magic unleashed total destruction on Atlanta, beginning early in the second quarter with the score tied at 27. The Magic went on a 17-0 run on their way to leading by as many as 46 points late in the game as all 12 Magic players scored and no Magic player played more than 29 minutes. Dwight Howard had his first double/double of the playoffs with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and added 5 blocks.

The first quarter gave absolutely no indication that the game would be such a slaughter, as the Hawks actually led by as many as 3 points. The Magic's largest first quarter lead was 25-21, and the quarter ended with the Magic leading 25-23. The last tie of the game came at 27 all early in the second before the Hawks went over 6 minutes without scoring. The Magic led comfortably at the half 53-33. The Hawks briefly pulled to 18 points early in the third, but the Magic outscored the Hawks 32-11 in the quarter as the Hawks went the last 5:31 of the quarter without scoring as the Magic led by an incredible 85-44 after three. The Magic maintained their huge lead in the final quarter, with their largest lead of 114-68 before a meaningless Hawks' three pointer to close the scoring.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 21 points (8 of 10 FGs, 5 of 10 FTs), 12 rebounds, 5 blocks
Vince Carter: 20 points (7 of 16 FGs, 5 of 5 FTs), 6 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 19 points (8 of 12 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
J.J. Redick (bench): 10 points (4 of 9 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 52.4% (44 of 84) ATL 34.6% (28 of 81)
3 PT FG%: ORL 39.1% (9 of 23) ATL 15.4% (2 of 13)
FT%: ATL 72.2% (13 of 18) ORL 70.8% (17 of 24)
REB: ORL 53 (14 offensive) ATL 35 (10 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 23/13 ATL 12/16
BENCH: ORL 41 ATL 33

Other game notes and stats:

-Atlanta had just three players in double figures, with Josh Smith leading with 14 points (just 4 points after the first quarter), and reserve Zaza Pachulia with 12 points; Joe Johnson scored just 10 points
-Sixth Man of the Year winner Jamal Crawford of the Hawks shot just 1 for 11 for 5 points
-The Magic outscored the Hawks 70-52 on two pointers, 27-6 on three pointers, and 17-13 on FTs
-Magic starters Rashard Lewis scored 9 points with 7 rebounds, and Matt Barnes scored 4 points with 7 rebounds
-The Magic starting backcourt outscored the Hawks' starting backcourt 39-12
-The Magic outscored the Hawks 60-21 in the second and third quarters, and shot 57% during this stretch while the Hawks shot 24% during that same stretch
-Marcin Gortat scored 9 points with 6 rebounds off the Magic bench, and reserve Mickael Pietrus scored 8 points on 2 of 3 three point shooting

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

Magic/Hawks matchups

2010-05-04T02:43:00.000-04:00

Averages are for the playoffs

PG... ORL Jameer Nelson (23.8 ppg, 4.5 assists) ATL Mike Bibby (11.0 ppg, 2.9 assists)
Advantage... Magic
With Nelson healthy and playing at an All-Star level, this makes the Magic stronger than last year's Eastern Conference Champions; Bibby is a solid veteran at PG

SG... ORL Vince Carter (15.5 ppg, 4.0 rebounds) ATL Joe Johnson (20.9 ppg, 5 .7 assists)
Advantage... Hawks
Carter struggled with his shooting against Charlotte in the first round, but if he can play as well as he did the final two months of the regular season, it will negate much of the advantage the Hawks have here with All-Star Johnson

SF... ORL Matt Barnes (8.5 ppg, 5.2 rebounds) ATL Marvin Williams (9.6 ppg, 6.4 rebounds)
Advantage... Hawks
Even though Williams has a slight statistical edge over Barnes; Barnes' tough defense has been invaluable to the Magic

PF... ORL Rashard Lewis (15.8 ppg, 5 .5 rebounds) ATL Josh Smith (13.1 ppg, 9.7 rebounds)
Advantage... even
Lewis played solid against Charlotte and was the Magic's second leading scorer in the first round, but Smith's athleticism offensively and defensively could make things tough for the Magic

C... ORL Dwight Howard (9.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.0 blocks) ATL Al Horford (15.6 ppg, 9.9 rebounds)
Advantage... Magic
Obviously, Howard needs to stay on the floor and avoid the continuous foul problems that plagued him in the first round. Even so, he was still a force on defense against Charlotte despite his limited time. Horford was solid against the Bucks.

BENCH... ORL Mickael Pietrus (9.0 ppg), J.J. Redick (5.0 ppg), Marcin Gortat (3.8 ppg, 5.2 rebounds), Ryan Anderson (2.8 ppg), Jason Williams (1.0 ppg) ATL Jamal Crawford (15.9 ppg, 3.0 rebounds), Zaza Pachulia (4.4 ppg, 3.1 rebounds), Maurice Evans (1.9 ppg), Jeff Teague (0.7 ppg), Mario West (0.7 ppg)
Advantage... Magic
Hawks have sixth man of the year award winner Crawford, but the Magic's overall depth is arguably the best in the NBA. Other than Crawford, only Pachulia and former Magic swingman Evans see significant time off the bench.

OUTLOOK... Hawks deserve props for coming back strong in Games 6 and 7 against the Bucks after their embarrassing Game 5 loss at home. Magic are well-rested and ready, and Howard should have a much better overall series than he did against the Bobcats as long as he can stay on the floor. Pietrus will be ready to play for the Magic despite a sprained left ankle suffered in practice Sunday.

Magic in 5 games.

Here is the AP preview of the Magic/Hawks series.

According to sportsbook.com, the Magic are a -800 favorite (wagering $800 do win $100 plus the original amount bet) to defeat the Hawks in the series, while the Hawks are a +500 underdog (wagering $100 to win $500 plus the original amount wagered).

The Magic are 9 point favorites to win Game 1.

Magic finally find out second round opponent... it's Atlanta

2010-05-02T21:00:00.002-04:00

After most people wrote off the Hawks after their embarrassing Game 5 home loss to Milwaukee, the Hawks came back strong in Game 6 and Game 7, dominating the Bucks. Game 7 wasn't even close, as the Hawks blew out the Bucks 95-74.

The Magic will host the first two games, with Game 1 Tuesday evening.

Magic's Howard finishes fourth in MVP voting

2010-05-02T20:55:00.002-04:00

To no one's surprise, Cleveland's LeBron James easily won the MVP in a runaway, outdistancing Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, who finished second, and Los Angeles's Kobe Bryant, who finished third. Dwight Howard finished fourth, received three first place votes.

Here is the complete story from cbssports.com.

Wait continues for Magic as Hawks/Bucks go to seventh game Sunday

2010-05-01T04:55:00.002-04:00

After their embarrassing loss to Milwaukee in Game 5 Wednesday, Atlanta staved off elimination in Game 6 in Milwaukee Friday night with a 19-0 third quarter run and defeated the Bucks 83-69. The Magic will play the winner of Sunday's game in Round 2, with the series beginning in Orlando either next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Here is the recap and box score from Game 6 from Yahoo! Sports.

The value of Magic backup center Marcin Gortat

2010-04-29T20:41:00.002-04:00

In this article from Yahoo! Sports' Associated Press Writer Antonio Gonzalez. he writes why it turned out to be a wise investment for the Magic to match the Dallas Mavericks' 34 million dollar offer sheet last summer on the restricted free agent.

Those surprising Bucks, and Howard gets fined by the NBA

2010-04-29T00:53:00.001-04:00

The sixth seed Milwaukee Bucks, who were big underdogs to the third seed Atlanta Hawks, especially after the Hawks jumped out to a 2 games to 0 lead, came back in Game 5 with a stunning 14-0 run late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Hawks in Atlanta 91-87 to go ahead 3 games to 2. The Bucks can clinch the series in Game 6 Friday night in Milwaukee, as the Magic patiently wait to face the winner of the series. Here is the recap of the Bucks' Game 5 win from Yahoo! Sports.

Meanwhile, the NBA fined Magic center Dwight Howard $35,000 on Wednesday for Howard criticizing officials on his blog.

Ken Berger of cbssports.com writes why he believes the Orlando Magic could very well win the NBA title, but Phil Shore of the bleacherreport writes that Howard needs to grow up in order for the Magic to win.

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

2010-04-27T01:45:00.004-04:00

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.

Otis Smith gets shut out in Executive of the Year voting

2010-04-26T04:19:00.003-04:00

From cbssports.com:

Milwaukee Bucks' general manager John Hammond becomes the first Bucks executive to win the award, after Milwaukee finished the regular season with 12 more wins than last season and earned its first playoff berth since 2006. Hammond received 12 of 30 votes from a panel of fellow NBA executives. Oklahoma City's Sam Presti was second with nine votes and Cleveland's Danny Ferry took third with two votes in results the league announced Saturday.

Charlotte's Rod Higgins, Dallas' Mark Cuban, Memphis' Chris Wallace, New Orleans' Jeff Bower, Portland's Kevin Pritchard, Sacramento's Geoff Petrie and Utah's Kevin O'Connor each received one vote.

Van Gundy says he won't talk about the refs anymore

2010-04-26T04:15:00.003-04:00

From cbssports.com:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy vowed to stop talking about the officials. The declaration left NBA commissioner David Stern with a smile.

The give-and-take between the two continued before Game 3 of the Magic's first-round playoff series at Charlotte on Saturday. Stern was in attendance two days after the league fined Van Gundy $35,000 for criticizing the referees about the number of fouls called on Magic center Dwight Howard.

"I've been fined for saying how good they were this year, and I've been fined for criticizing them," Van Gundy said. "So nobody understands more that we're just not to talk about them at all."

Told Van Gundy's comments about an hour later, Stern immediately smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Isn't that new?"

Stern wasn't finished, though. He later took Van Gundy to task for his complaining about how the first-round playoff series are spread out for television purposes. Stern recalled how coaches used to complain about back-to-back games on weekends.

"So then you can imagine my feeling when I see Stan Van Gundy, the league administrator, lecturing on how we should schedule games," Stern said. "Thank you very much -- as we try to nurture $800 million a year of TV money so we can distribute it to the teams so they can pay their salary."

"So when you tell me he's going to be quiet for a while, that's the best news I've had today."

Here is the Game 4 preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Game 3: Magic 90, Bobcats 86

2010-04-24T21:51:00.001-04:00

The Magic received another tremendous performance from Jameer Nelson, as he scored 19 of his game-high 32 points in the first quarter, and the Magic overcame 44% FG shooting, 21 turnovers, and Dwight Howard fouling out and playing just 26 minutes to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The Magic started out quickly, making 7 of their first 8 shots and took an 18-10 lead, but Charlotte went on a 17-5 run to go ahead 27-23 before the Magic scored the final 6 points of the quarter, including a 4 point play by Nelson, to take a 29-27 lead going into the second. Howard picked up his third foul at the 10:40 mark of the second and sat out the rest of the half, as the Bobcats outscored the Magic 14-4 to begin the third to take a 41-33 lead and settled for a 46-41 lead at the half. The Bobcats had their largest lead of the game at 50-41 to start the second half, only to see the Magic go on a 11-0 run to take back the lead 52-50. The Magic led by as much as 64-58, but the Bobcats tied the game at 66 after three. The Bobcats held a small lead for much of the final quarter, leading 77-73 with 5:50 remaining. Howard fouled out at the 3:32 mark with the game tied at 79. Charlotte's last lead was 80-79 with 3:32 remaining before the Magic took the lead for good 81-80 at the 3:13 mark. The Magic still had the lead 85-84 in the final 30 seconds with the Bobcats a chance to take the lead, but Stephen Jackson misfired on a three with 24.9 seconds remaining. The Magic made 5 of their final 6 free throws to secure the win.

Magic leading scorers

Jameer Nelson: 32 points (12 of 21 FGs, 5 of 9 3 PT FGs), 4 steals, 3 assists, 0 turnovers
Rashard Lewis: 14 points (4 of 11 FGs, 2 of 7 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers
Dwight Howard: 13 points (4 of 7 FGs, 5 of 10 3 PT FGs), 8 rebounds, 7 blocks, 4 turnovers
Vince Carter: 10 points (4 of 11 FGs, 0 for 4 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers

Overall Game Stats

FG%: ORL 44.3% (31 of 70) CHA 41.9% (31 of 74)
3 PT FG%: ORL 30% (9 of 30) CHA 5 of 23 (21.7%)
FT%: CHA 82.6% (19 of 23) ORL 76.0% (19 of 25)
REB: ORL 43 (11 offensive) CHA 33 (6 offensive)
AST/TO: CHA 17/15 ORL 14/21
BENCH: CHA 33 ORL 14

Other game notes and stats:

-Stephen Jackson led the Bobcats with 19 points, but shot just 6 of 18, including 1 of 7 on three pointers; Gerald Wallace had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and Raymond Felton added 13 points, 6 assists as both Wallace (4 of 12) and Felton (5 of 14) struggled shooting along with Jackson
-Larry Hughes scored 14 points off the Bobcats' bench on 5 of 6 shooting
-Marcin Gortat and Ryan Anderson led the Magic bench with 5 points each, and Gortat added 8 rebounds, a steal, and a block
-Jackson, Felton, and Wallace combined to shoot 15 of 44, including 3 of 15 on threes
-Other than Wallace and Hughes, the Bobcats shot 1 of 16 on threes
-Other than Nelson, the Magic shot 4 of 21 on threes
-The Magic starters outscored the Bobcats' starters 76-53
-The Bobcats missed 15 of their final 18 shots
-Four different Magic players had 3 assists

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

Magic's Lewis sprains left ankle

2010-04-24T04:57:00.002-04:00

From Yahoo! Sports:

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis has a sprained left ankle but says he should be fine for Game 3 against Charlotte on Saturday.

Lewis had a wrap around the ankle after practicing Friday. He says he came down sideways on the ankle in Game 2 against the Bobcats.

Lewis stayed in the game and didn’t show any effects from the injury. He will remain in the starting lineup.

Here is the Game 3 preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 2 point favorites.

Van Gundy, Barnes fined for criticizing officials

2010-04-23T05:04:00.004-04:00

From Yahoo! Sports:

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—The NBA fined Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and forward Matt Barnes $35,000 each Thursday for publicly criticizing officials.

Van Gundy and Barnes said after the Magic beat Charlotte on Wednesday night that they were not happy with the way officials called the game on Dwight Howard.

Orlando’s All-Star center has been in foul trouble the first two games of the series.

Barnes said the officials need “to stop calling such tic-tac fouls on him.” Van Gundy said among other things that he doesn’t “see the other great players in this league on the bench all the time with foul trouble, especially on marginal calls.”

The Magic lead the Bobcats 2-0. Game 3 is Saturday in Charlotte.

Also from Yahoo! Sports:

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—NBA commissioner David Stern is tired of coaches and players griping about the officiating, and challenged them Thursday to “make my day” by continuing to complain during the rest of the playoffs.

The league handed out fines of $35,000 apiece on Thursday to Boston Celtics forward Rasheed Wallace, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Orlando forward Matt Barnes for publicly criticizing officials. A week earlier, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson was fined $35,000 for suggesting that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant received preferential treatment from NBA referees.

Speaking before the Thunder hosted the Lakers, Stern said such comments were “corrosive” to the product that the league is putting on the floor. He said he understands why coaches try to work the officials through the media, but that the result is such comments undermine consumer confidence in the league’s product.

Game 2: Magic 92, Bobcats 77

2010-04-22T02:15:00.001-04:00

The Magic were able to parlay balanced scoring, strong defense, and a large advantage in free throw attempts to win their second straight game over Charlotte, even though they could not put away the Bobcats until late in the game despite a 20 point fourth quarter lead.

The Magic led from start to finish, as they led by as much as 10 points in the opening quarter before settling for a 18-14 lead after one. The Magic extended their lead to 12 points in the second quarter and led 41-30 at the half. The Bobcats came as close as 8 points in the third quarter before the Magic were finally able to open up their offense in the third quarter, scoring 34 points, and led 75-55 after three. The Magic had a seemingly comfortable lead of 81-62 with 7:37 remaining before they went on a dry spell as the Bobcats went on a 13-2 run to get to within 83-75 with 3:16 remaining. Charlotte scored only once more though, as the Magic finally pulled away.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 19 points (5 of 10 FGs, 9 of 11 FTs), 5 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 15 points (5 of 10 FGs, 5 of 12 FTs), 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 6 turnovers
Rashard Lewis: 13 points (5 of 12 FGs, 3 of 7 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Jameer Nelson: 13 points (4 of 11 FGs, 4 of 5 FTs), 5 assists, 3 steals
Matt Barnes: 11 points (4 of 6 FGs), 6 rebounds, 4 assists

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 45.3% (29 of 64) CHA 43.9% (29 of 66)
3 PT FG%: CHA 42.9% (6 of 14) ORL 37.0% (10 of 27)
FT%: CHA 72.2% (13 of 18) ORL 68.6% (24 of 35)
REB: ORL 36 (11 offensive) CHA 36 (11 offensive)
AST/TO: CHA 18/21 ORL 17/14
BENCH: CHA 26 ORL 21

Other game notes and stats:

-Three Bobcats scored in double figures, led by Stephen Jackson with 27 points on 10 of 20 FGs, but also committed 7 turnovers; Gerald Wallace added 15 points along with 6 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Nazr Mohammed added 10 points off the bench
-Bobcats' starters Boris Diaw, Theo Ratliff, and Raymond Felton combined to score 9 points on 4 of 15 shooting
-Mickael Pietrus led the Magic reserves with 9 points on 3 of 4 three pointers
-Howard and Lewis each wound up with 5 fouls, with Howard playing 28:32
-Jason Williams, J.J. Redick, and Marcin Gortat combined for 6 points off the Magic bench on 1 of 5 shooting
-The Magic starting frontline outscored the Bobcats' starting frontline 39-21
-Wallace and Jackson combined for 17 of the Bobcats' 18 free throws

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

Game 2 preview

2010-04-21T03:27:00.003-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Wednesday, April 21st, 7:00 p.m.

Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Also, check out this article from bleacherreport.com on why they feel the Magic have a good chance at winning the NBA championship this season.

The Magic are 9 point favorites.

Dwight Howard named Defensive Player of the Year

2010-04-20T18:28:00.004-04:00

Here are portions of the Orlando Magic press release announcing Howard's award:

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is the recipient of the 2009-10 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors, the NBA announced today, marking the second straight season the All-Star has earned the honor.The 6-11 center became the first player to lead the league in rebounding and blocks (1973-74 was the first season blocks were kept as an official statistic) in consecutive seasons, averaging 13.2 rebounds and 2.78 blocks. Howard also paced the league in field goal percentage (.612), becoming the first player to lead the NBA in all three of those categories since the NBA started keeping blocked shots. He also became only the fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding for at least three consecutive seasons. Howard recorded an NBA-high 64 double-doubles, including three 20-point/20-rebound efforts.

Howard, a four-time NBA All-Star, helped the Magic to its third consecutive Southeast Division title (59-23) and the league’s second best record behind Cleveland (61-21). With Howard anchoring the defense, the Magic allowed 95.3 ppg, which ranked fourth in the NBA, and held the opposition to a league-low .438 shooting from the field, including 24 games where opponents shot under .400. Orlando held the opposition to less than 100 points 57 times and to less than 90 points 24 times.

Howard received 576 points, including 110 first-place votes, from a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Atlanta’s Josh Smith finished second with 136 points and Charlotte’s Gerald wallace finished third with 113 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

Here is the complete article from cbssports.com.

Game 1: Magic 98, Bobcats 89

2010-04-19T01:47:00.000-04:00

Jameer Nelson scored 24 of his game-high 32 points at halftime leading the Magic to a 22 point third quarter lead before withstanding a Charlotte comeback that saw them cut the Magic lead to 5 points in the fourth quarter before pulling away on free throws late. Dwight Howard blocked 8 of his 9 shots in the first half before spending much of the second half on the bench in foul trouble.

The Bobcats had their last lead of the game at 8-7, and were within 11-10, before the Magic went on a 13-2 run for a 24-12 lead and led 31-20 after one. The Bobcats cut the Magic lead to 35-31 with 6:45 remaining in the second quarter before the Magic closed the half on a 24-12 run to lead 59-43. Nelson made a 35 footer at the buzzer, just after Charlotte's Stephen Jackson ran into a teammate and hyperextended his knee. Jackson returned for the third quarter, but sat for much of the fourth. The Magic had their largest lead of the game at 65-43 with 9:11 remaining in the third before the Bobcats went on a 17-4 run to cut their deficit to 69-60 before the Magic settled for a 76-66 lead after three. The Bobcats would not let the Magic extend their lead, and pulled to within 85-80 with 3:10 remaining, and were still within 5 points with 33 seconds remaining before the Magic made their final four free throws.

Magic leading scorers

Jameer Nelson: 32 points (10 of 18 FGs, 4 of 8 3 PT FGs, 8 of 8 3 PT FGs), 6 assists
Rashard Lewis: 19 points (8 of 11 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 14 points (4 of 7 3 PT FGs)
Vince Carter: 12 points (4 of 19 FGs, 0 of 5 3 PT FGs)
J.J. Redick (bench): 10 points (3 of 5 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics:

FG%: CHA 46.5% (33 of 71) ORL 44.6% (33 of 74)
3 PT FG%: ORL 43.3% (13 of 30) CHA 25% (3 of 12)
FT%: CHA 71.4% (20 of 28) ORL 70.4% (19 of 27)
REB: CHA 41 (10 offensive) ORL 34 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: CHA 19/16 ORL 13/9
BENCH: ORL 28 CHA 16

Other game notes and stats:

-Dwight Howard was held to 5 points, including 1 of 6 FT shooting, but blocked 9 shots with 7 rebounds in 28 minutes
-Three Bobcats scored in double figures, led by Gerald Wallace with 25 points, 17 rebounds; Raymond Felton added 19 points, and Stephen Jackson 18 points
-Carter fouled out, while Howard finished with 5 fouls
-The Bobcats shot 22 FTs in the second half
-Nelson, Lewis, and Pietrus combined to score 65 of the Magic's 98 points on 22 of 36 shooting, including 11 of 20 three pointers
-Nelson shot 10 of 12 in the first half, including 4 of 5 on threes
-The Magic shot 59 1/2% in the first half, but 29.7% in the second half

Here is the complete recap and box score from Yahoo! Sports.

Game 1 and Magic/Bobcats series preview

2010-04-18T05:28:00.003-04:00

Game 1: Charlotte at Orlando
Sun, Apr 18 - 5:30 pm EDT
Preview
TV: TNT

Also, check out this article from AP Writer Antonio Gonzalez on Magic GM Otis Smith and some of the risky moves he's made to mold the Magic into the championship contender that they are.

The Magic are -1000 favorites to win the series over the Bobcats (wagering $1000 to win $100 plus the original amount bet), while the Bobcats are +600 underdogs (wagering $100 to win $600 plus the original amount bet.

The Magic are 10 point favorites to win Game 1.

A closer look at the Charlotte Bobcats

2010-04-16T01:45:00.001-04:00

The Bobcats finished with a record of 44-38 (31-10 home, 13-28 away). They averaged 95.3 points per game (28th in the league) and allowed 93.8 points per game (1st). Their offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) was 104.4 (24th) and their defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) was 102.8 (1st).

Charlotte depth chart:

PG: Raymond Felton (12.1 ppg 45.9% FG, 38.5% 3 PT FG, 5.6 assts), D.J. Augustin (6.3 ppg, 38.6% FG)
SG: Stephen Jackson (20.6 ppg, 42.3% FG, 32.8 3 PT FG, 3.7 assts), Larry Hughes (9.1 ppg, 35.5% FG, 3.0 assts)
SF: Gerald Wallace (18.2 ppg, 48.4% FG, 37.1 3 PT FG, 10.0 rebs), Stephen Graham (4.2 ppg, 49.6% FG)
PF: Boris Diaw (11.3 ppg, 48.3% FG, 32.0% 3 PT FG, 5.2 rebs, 4.0 assts), Tyrus Thomas (9.4 ppg, 46.2% FG, 6.2 rebs)
C: Nazr Mohammed (7.9 ppg, 55.3% FG, 5.2 rebs), Tyson Chandler (6.5 ppg, 57.4% FG, 6.3 rebs), Theo Ratliff (3.6 ppg, 46.1%)

Game review: Magic (59-23) 125, 76ers (27-55) 111

2010-04-15T01:17:00.002-04:00

The Magic achieved some milestones in their last regular season game ever at Amway Arena. They set the all-time NBA record for three pointers in a season with 841 and clinched the second-best record in the NBA, and Dwight Howard clinched the rebounding and blocked shots title for the second straight season, which has never been done before.

The Magic never trailed in the game. After a 10-10 tie, the Magic went on a 27-10 run as they shot an unbelievable 83% in the first quarter to lead 37-20 after one. The Magic led by as many as 47-25 in the second quarter before the 76ers went on a 20-8 run to cut their deficit to 10 points before the Magic went into the half with a 63-50 lead. The 76ers briefly came to within 10 points again early in the third quarter before the Magic blew the game wide open with a 28-11 run to lead by 27 and led 93-70 after three quarters. The Magic's lead was as big as 102-74 in the fourth quarter and the Magic still led by 21 points with 1:35 remaining.

Magic leading scorers

Jameer Nelson: 21 points (9 of 13 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 4 assists
Vince Carter: 17 points (6 of 8 FGs, 4 of 5 3 PT FGs), 6 assists
Marcin Gortat (bench): 16 points (5 of 6 FGs), 6 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 15 points (6 of 8 FGs), 12 rebounds
Matt Barnes: 12 points (6 of 10 FGs), 5 rebounds
Brandon Bass (bench): 10 points (4 of 5 FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 59.8% (49 of 82) PHI 51.8% (43 of 83)
3 PT FG%: ORL 44% (11 of 25) PHI 31.6% (6 of 19)
FT%: ORL 80% (16 of 20) PHI 79.2% (19 of 24)
REB: ORL 39 (8 offensive) PHI 31 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: PHI 23/8 ORL 21/12
BENCH: PHI 64 ORL 51

Other game notes and stats:

-Six players scored in double figures for Philadelphia, led by Marresse Speights in reserve with 23 points, 8 rebounds
-The Magic starters outscored the 76ers' starters 74-47
-Rashard Lewis was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, as he wound up with 9 points on 2 of 8 shooting
-Other than Lewis, the Magic starters shot a combined 27 of 39
-Carter and Nelson combined to shoot 7 of 10 on threes
-No Magic starter played more than 29:25, as all 12 players saw action; only Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson did not score

The Magic will open the playoffs this weekend at home against the Charlotte Bobcats, with Game 1 being played Sunday at 5:30 PM and will be televised on TNT.

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

Game night preview

2010-04-14T17:06:00.000-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Wednesday, April 14. 8:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

It will be an emotional atmosphere on Wednesday when the Orlando Magic conclude their regular season against the Philadelphia 76ers at 8 p.m. ET. It will be the final regular season game ever played at Amway Arena, and one can expect everyone to reflect on all the memorable moments in the arena’s history. From spectacular individual performances (ex. Tracy McGrady’s 62 points in 2004), astounding game-winning shots (ex. Dwight Howard’s dunk against the Spurs) and two unforgettable Eastern Conference Final Magic victories, Amway Arena will always be cherished.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Philadelphia	27-54	4th Atlantic / 12th East	97.6	101.3	Road 15-25	Lost 1	3-7
Orlando	58-23	1st Southeast / 2nd East	102.5	95.1	Home 33-7	Won 5	8-2

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The Magic are 11 point favorites.

Game review: Magic (58-23) 118, Pacers (32-49) 98

2010-04-13T01:33:00.000-04:00

The Magic continue to play well as the season nears a close, winning their fifth game in a row as they led from start to finish. Seven players scored in double figures, led by Vince Carter with 21 points.

The Magic led 11-9 in the first quarter before going on a 19-2 run to go ahead 30-11 on their way to a 42-18 lead after the first quarter, tying their highest output for a quarter for the season. The Magic maintained their big lead for the first six minutes of the second quarter, leading 56-32 with 6:12 remaining in the half before the Pacers went on a 19-4 run to briefly cut the Magic lead to single digits 60-51 before the Magic led at the half 65-51. The Magic put the game away in the third quarter, as they went on a 19-7 run to start the quarter to lead 84-58 at the 3:17 mark before settling for a 90-70 lead after three. The Pacers could get no closer than 17 points in the final quarter.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 21 points (5 of 11 FGs, 11 of 11 FTs), 4 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 15 points (5 of 10 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs), 8 assists, 7 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 14 points (3 of 8 FGs, 3 of 6 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Matt Barnes: 13 points (4 of 10 FGs), 11 rebounds, 3 steals
Dwight Howard: 12 points (4 of 6 FGs, 4 of 10 FTs), 11 rebounds, 4 blocks
J.J Redick (bench): 11 points (4 of 6 FGs), 6 assists
Ryan Anderson (bench): 10 points (4 of 4 FGs, 2 of 2 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 48.1% (37 of 77) IND 40.9% (36 of 88)
3 PT FG%: ORL 37.5% (12 of 32) IND 34.5% (10 of 29)
FT%: ORL 74.4% (32 of 43) IND 66.7% (16 of 24)
REB: ORL 53 (7 offensive) IND 38 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 22/17 IND 20/14
BENCH: IND 44 ORL 43

Other game stats and notes:

-Five Pacers' scored in double figures, led by reserve A.J. Price with 19 points; Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy added 18 points apiece
-Three Magic starters played over 30 minutes, led by Matt Barnes with 37 minutes
-The Magic only made one more field goal than the Pacers and outscored them 86-82 from the field, but had a 32-16 advantage from the free throw line
-Granger needed 19 shots to score his 18 points, and went just 1 for 8 on three pointers
-The Magic starting guards outscored the Pacers' starting guards 36-16
-Mickael Pietrus had 4 steals in 18 minutes off the bench for the Magic in addition to 9 points
-Brandon Bass and Anthony Johnson did not play for the Magic
-The Magic will play the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round

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

Game night preview

2010-04-12T17:08:00.002-04:00

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Orlando	57-23	1st Southeast / 2nd East	102.3	95.0	Road 24-16	Won 4	8-2
Indiana	32-48	4th Central / 10th East	100.9	103.7	Home 23-17	Won 4	8-2

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 3 1/2 point favorites.

Game review: Magic (57-23) 98, Cavaliers (61-20) 92

2010-04-11T21:30:00.001-04:00

The Magic got off to their typical slow start in Cleveland, falling behind the LeBron James-less Cavaliers by 16 points in the second quarter before recovering as they outscored the Cavaliers by 10 points in the second half. It was a meaningless game for the Cavaliers, as they rested Anthony Parker in addition to James, with Shaquille O'Neal still being held out as he recovers from his thumb injury. Thanks to the LA Lakers' loss to Portland, the Magic now have the second-best record in the NBA.

The Magic scored the first 4 points of the game as the score was tied at 11 before the Cavaliers went on a 15-4 run to lead 26-11 before settling for a 28-19 lead after one. The Cavaliers had their largest lead of the game at 40-24 with 7:20 remaining in the second before the Magic went on a 22-10 run to cut their deficit to 50-46 at the half. The Cavaliers led by as many as 5 points in the third before the Magic went on a 24-15 run to close the third quarter and led 77-73. Both teams played their reserves liberally in the final quarter as the Cavaliers had their last lead at 84-83 with under 8 minutes before the Magic took control with a 15-4 run to go ahead 98-88 with 2:22 remaining. The Magic didn't score again, but it wasn't necessary.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard; 22 points (9 of 13 FGs, 4 of 9 FTs), 13 rebounds, 6 blocks
Jameer Nelson: 17 points (6 of 13 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 8 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 12 points (4 of 8 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FG), 2 steals
Rashard Lewis: 11 points (4 of 8 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FG)
Matt Barnes: 10 points (5 of 7 FGs), 6 rebounds
J.J. Redick (bench): 10 points (3 of 7 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FG), 6 assists

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 48.1% (38 of 79) CLE 41.0% (34 of 83)
3 PT FG%: ORL 34.6% (9 of 26) CLE 33.3% (6 of 18)
FT%: CLE 78.3% (18 of 23) ORL 68.4% (13 of 19)
REB: CLE 42 (14 offensive) ORL 38 (10 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 29/14 CLE 17/14
BENCH: CLE 36 ORL 32

Other game notes and stats:

-Four Cavaliers scored in double figures, led by Delonte West off the bench with 21 points on 7 of 12 field goals; Mo Williams (9 assists) and Antawn Jamison added 19 points; Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 9 points with 12 rebounds in reserve
-Vince Carter was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, as he scored 6 points on 3 of 10 shooting, but had 5 assists
-Howard and Nelson were the only Magic starters to play over 30 minutes, as Howard played 37:42; Jamario Moon was the only Cavaliers' player to play over 30 minutes
-Only Anthony Johnson did not play for the Magic; Jason Williams and Marcin Gortat played but did not score
-After starting 0 for 6 on threes, the Magic made 9 of their last 20 three pointers
-Pietrus scored all his points in the fourth quarter on 4 of 6 shooting, including two three pointers and two free throws
-Magic went on a 74-48 run after falling behind 40-24

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

Game review: Magic (56-23) 118, Knicks (28-51) 103

2010-04-10T02:34:00.000-04:00

The Magic continued their hot shooting overall and from three point range as they bolted out to a 14 point lead after one quarter, led by as much as 24 points in the third quarter, saw New York briefly pull to within 8 points early in the fourth quarter, then pulled away. Six Magic players scored in double figures, led by Dwight Howard and Vince Carter with 25 points each.

The Knicks never led in the game, as the Magic went on a 12-0 run in the first quarter to go ahead 22-9 before settling for a 35-21 lead after one. The Magic led by as many as 56-37 in the second quarter and led 62-48 at the half. The Magic quickly jumped out to a 75-51 lead early in the third quarter, and still led 85-64 with 4:43 remaining, but the Knicks went on a 15-5 run to pull within 90-79 after three quarters. The Knicks came as close as 92-84 early in the fourth, and were still within 94-84 with 5:25 remaining, but the Magic went on a 15-4 run to put the game away before two meaningless three pointers by the Knicks to close the game.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 25 points (9 of 19 FGs, 5 of 10 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
Dwight Howard: 25 points (11 of 14 FGs, 13 rebounds, 0 turnovers)
Ryan Anderson (bench): 19 points (8 of 11 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
J.J. Redick (bench): 15 points (6 of 9 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs)
Jameer Nelson: 13 points (5 of 10 FGs, 3 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
Mickael Pietrus: 10 points (4 of 10 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 56.0% (47 of 84) NY 47.3% (35 of 74)
3 PT FG%: NY 48.5% (16 of 33) ORL 46.9% (15 of 32)
FT%: NY 77.3% (17 of 22) ORL 50% (9 of 18)
REB: ORL 39 (14 offensive) NY 35 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 28/9 NY 21/13
BENCH: ORL 46 NY 37

Other game notes and stats:

-Six New York players scored in double figures, led by Danelo Gallinari with 28 points
-Former Magic star Tracy McGrady scored 6 points in less than 22 minutes on 2 of 6 3 PT FG shooting, as all his shot attempts were three pointers
-The two teams combined to make 31 of 65 three pointers
-Rashard Lewis scored 7 points on 3 of 5 shooting along with three steals for the Magic
-The Magic starting guards outscored the Knicks' starting guards 38-19
-Only Howard (37 minutes) and Carter (31 minutes) played more than 30 minutes for the Magic
-Anderson (11 points) and Redick (9 points) combined to score 20 points on 9 of 12 shooting in the fourth
-Brandon Bass and Anthony Johnson did not play for the Magic

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

Game night preview

2010-04-09T04:10:00.002-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. NEW YORK KNICKS
Friday, April 9. 7:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
New York	28-50	3rd Atlantic / 11th East	101.9	105.4	Road 11-28	Lost 1	4-6
Orlando	55-23	1st Southeast / 2nd East	102.1	95.0	Home 32-7	Won 2	8-2

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Game review: Magic (55-23) 121, Wizards (24-54) 94

2010-04-08T01:17:00.001-04:00

After a sluggish start by the Magic which saw them trailing by one after the first quarter, the Magic surged ahead as they outscored Washington by 28 points the final three quarters for the blowout win. All 12 Magic players scored, with seven players in double figures, as the Magic reserves had their best game of the year scoring 65 points.

The Wizards scored 10 points in a row to lead 21-15 with 2:36 remaining in the first, and had two other six point leads before the Magic cut their deficit to 25-24 after one. J.J. Redick's 3 pointer to open the second quarter put the Magic ahead for good, as the Magic led by as many as 46-33 in the quarter before settling for a 50-44 halftime lead. The Magic led by only single digits for much of the third quarter as the Wizards came as close as 5 points. The Magic finally got their lead to double digits in the final two and a half minutes of the third quarter and delivered a dagger when Jason Williams hit two three pointers in the final two seconds of the quarter (the second coming after a steal and a pass from Matt Barnes) to extend the Magic lead from 13 to 19 points, 84-65 after three. The Wizards got to within 13 points again with just under 9 minutes remaining before the Magic outscored the Wizards 33-14 to finish the game.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 17 points (7 of 10 FGs), 10 rebounds, 3 blocks
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 16 points (6 of 9 FGs, 4 of 5 3 PT FGs)
J.J. Redick (bench): 16 points (5 of 10 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs), 4 assists, 2 steals
Matt Barnes: 11 points (4 of 6 FGs)
Ryan Anderson (bench): 11 points (4 of 6 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs), 5 assists

Overall Game Statistics:

FG%: ORL 57.9% (44 of 76) WAS 50% (39 of 78)
3 PT FG%: ORL 59.1% (13 of 22) WAS 40% (4 of 10)
FT%: WAS 85.7% (12 of 14) ORL 83.3% (20 of 24)
REB: ORL 39 (9 offensive) WAS 27 (5 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 24/12 WAS 18/14
BENCH: ORL 65 WAS 37

Other game notes and stats:

-Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter added 10 points each
-Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 6 assists and added 8 points and 5 rebounds
-Four Wizards scored in double figures, led by Nick Young with 21 points (9 of 15 FGs); former Magic rookie-of-the-year Mike Miller added 16 points, 9 rebounds
-The Magic reserves shot a collective 25 of 37 (67.6%) from the field, including 10 of 13 (76.9%) on threes, for an eFG% of 81.1%
-All seven reserves shot at least 50% from the field, with six of them shooting 67% or better
-The Magic started out the game making just 5 of their first 15 shots in the first 9 1/2 minutes
-The Magic made 13 of their final 15 shots in the final 8:38, including all 5 three pointers
-No Magic player played more than 29 1/2 minutes

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

Game night preview

2010-04-07T04:23:00.002-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Wednesday, April 7. 7:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

The Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards are in two completely different places at this stage of the regular season. If you have any doubts, just look at the standings. Orlando owns a 30.5-game lead over Washington. But the Wizards do have one advantage over the Magic; they currently lead the season series, 2-1. Orlando will look to even that score at home Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET when the two squads meet for the final time this season. While Washington’s offensive options are now limited after trading away Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson all before the deadline, they still do have one premier scoring option left on their active roster. Forward Andray Blatche has flourished since the aforementioned players were sent out of town, averaging 20.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in March.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Washington	24-53	5th Southeast / 14th East	96.1	100.7	Road 10-28	Won 2	3-7
Orlando	54-23	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.9	95.0	Home 31-7	Won 1	7-3

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports

The Magic are 13 1/2 point favorites.

This week for the Magic

2010-04-06T03:02:00.003-04:00

Heading down the stretch run with just a little over a week left on the regular season, the Orlando Magic are 54-23 (31-7 home, 23-16 road), 4 1/2 games ahead of second place Atlanta (49-27) in the SE. The Magic are the second seed in the East, 4 1/2 games ahead of third seed Atlanta, with a "magic number" of one to clinch the second seed. The Magic have the third best record in the NBA behind Cleveland (60-17) and the LA Lakers (55-22).

The Magic are averaging 101.9 points per game (9th) and allow an average of 95.0 points per game (4th). The Magic have an an offensive rating of 110.4 (8th) and a defensive rating of 102.9 (2nd).

Last year after 77 games, the Magic's record was 57-20.

The Magic's remaining schedule:

Wed. Apr. 7th: Washington (7 PM) 23-53 (10-28 road) 2-8 last 10 games
Fri. Apr. 9th: New York (7 PM) 27-49 (11-27 road) 4-6 last 10 games
Sun. Apr. 11th: at Cleveland (1 PM) 60-17 (34-4 home) 8-2 last 10 games
Mon. Apr. 12th: at Indiana (7 PM) 29-48 (21-17 home) 7-3 last 10 games
Wed. Apr. 14th: Philadelphia (8 PM) 26-50 (14-24 road) 3-7 last 10 games

The Magic still have a chance to catch the Lakers for the second best record in the NBA, and home-court advantage in the NBA Finals should they get there, so they have something to play for the final five games. It will be interesting to see if the Cavaliers play all their players against the Magic on Sunday, as the game most likely won't mean anything to the Cavs because all they need to do is win a game or have the Lakers lose a game before then to sew up home-court advantage through the playoffs.

The Magic should do no worse than 4-1 or 3-2 these final five games. Should the Magic win their remaining 5 games, they will tie last season's record of 59-23.

Game review: Magic (54-23) 107, Grizzlies (39-37) 92

2010-04-04T22:44:00.001-04:00

In a game marred by a third quarter scuffle between Matt Barnes and Memphis's Hasheem Thabeet that saw Barnes get ejected and 5 technicals issued by the referees, the Magic had 5 players in double figures led by Vince Carter's 26 points and came back from a 5 point third quarter deficit to defeat the Grizzlies. The Magic had an outstanding 54.3% eFG% to more than offset the Grizzlies' 29-18 free throws made advantage.

The Magic scored the first 7 points of the game and maintained a lead between 6-10 points for most of the quarter and led 32-24 after one. The Grizzlies closed the Magic lead to 37-36 with 6:45 remaining in the second, but the Magic went on a 13-0 run to lead 50-36 and led 54-46 at the half. The Magic started out horrible offensively in the third quarter, as they scored just 4 points in the first 6:22 of the second half as Memphis took a 63-58 lead. The scuffle between Barnes and Thabeet took place at the 6:54 mark. Two quick threes by the Magic got the lead back, and the Magic took the lead for good 70-69 at the 1:21 mark and led 75-69 going into the final quarter. The Grizzlies got as close as 75-71 early in the fourth, but the Magic gradually pulled away and were never threatened in the final 10 minutes.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 26 points (9 of 18 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs, 6 of 7 FTs), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
Rashard Lewis: 18 points (6 of 8 FGs, 5 of 7 3 PT FGs), 2 steals, 2 blocks
Jameer Nelson: 18 points (8 of 13 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
J.J. Redick (bench): 15 points (4 of 9 FGs, 3 of 6 3 PT FGs)
Brandon Bass (bench): 11 points (4 of 11 FGs), 2 blocks

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 46.3% (38 of 82) MEM 40% (30 of 75)
3 PT FG%: ORL 44.8% (13 of 29) MEM 33.3% (3 of 9)
FT%: MEM 76.3% (29 of 38) ORL 75% (18 of 24)
REB: MEM 46 (12 offensive) ORL 43 (12 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 21/14 MEM 12/15
BENCH: ORL 37 MEM 19

Other game notes and stats:

-Zach Randolph led Memphis with 24 points along with 18 rebounds and 4 steals; three other Grizzlies scored in double figures as Rudy Gay scored 18 points and O.J. Mayo scored 17 points
-Gay and Mayo shot a combined 11 of 29 from the field
-Grizzlies' starting center Hasheem Thabeet was scoreless in nearly 20 minutes, but grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 3 shots
-Magic C Dwight Howard was held to 8 points, but led the Magic with 11 rebounds and 5 blocks
-Barnes was scoreless in 17 minutes with 4 rebounds and 2 assists prior to his ejection
-Jason Williams had 5 assists off the bench for the Magic
-Carter and Nelson combined for 44 points on 17 of 31 shooting, including 4 of 9 on threes with 11 assists and 10 rebounds
-The Magic outscored the Grizzlies 89-63 from the field
-The Magic's "magic number" to clinching the SE and the second seed in the East is now one

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

2010-04-04T05:39:00.002-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Sunday, April 4. 6:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

The Orlando Magic will get their second and final peek at the Grizzlies when they meet on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET at Amway Arena. The talent is apparent, but the Grizzlies are still searching for that right chemistry and cohesion before they can be a serious threat in the West. Zach Randolph, who was named to his first All-Star Game this year, is a double-double machine and O.J. Mayo has had a quality sophomore season. Marc Gasol is one of the prime candidates for Most Improved Player of the Year honors and Hasheem Thabeet is expected to be a first-rate shot blocker once he settles in.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Memphis	39-36	3rd Southwest / 9th West	102.8	103.2	Road 16-20	Won 1	5-5
Orlando	53-23	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.8	95.0	Home 30-7	Lost 1	7-3

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 10 1/2 point favorites.

Game review: Spurs (46-29) 112, Magic (53-23) 100

2010-04-03T01:55:00.000-04:00

In one of their worst defensive efforts of the season, the Magic allowed San Antonio to shoot 52% from the field and score 112 points, as the Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili's season-high 43 points. The Magic also did not help their cause by missing more than half their free throws, as it appeared they lost their focus and emotions in the second half. Matt Barnes and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy got into a disagreement, and Barnes was replaced at the 6:39 mark of the third quarter and did not return. Dwight Howard fouled out late in the game, missed 9 of 11 free throws, and wasn't a factor. Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus, off the bench, led the Magic with 18 points.

In a tightly contested first quarter, which saw Tim Duncan commit 3 fouls in the first 3:32, neither team had more than a 4 point lead as the Spurs led after one 29-27. The Magic came back in the second quarter to lead by as much as 56-50 with 1:17 remaining, as Spurs' coach Greg Popovich picked up his second technical and was ejected at the 2:59 mark, but the Spurs cut the Magic lead to 56-54 at the half. Things began to unravel for the Magic in the third quarter, as their last lead was 65-63 with 7:52 left in the third. The Spurs then went on a 15-5 run to lead 78-70, and led 87-78 going into the fourth quarter. The Magic scored the first 7 points of the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to 87-85, but the Spurs scored 6 in a row to go back to an 8 point lead. The Magic made one final attempt to come back, cutting the Spurs' lead to 98-94 with 5:08 remaining, but that's as close as they would get as the Spurs went on a 8-2 run to lead by 10 on the way to their 12 point victory.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 18 points (7 of 11 FGs, 4 of 7 3 PT FGs)
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 18 points (7 of 9 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 15 points (7 of 16 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs), 6 assists, 5 rebounds
J.J. Redick (bench): 15 points (5 of 10 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds
Vince Carter: 12 points (5 of 15 FGs, 1 of 5 3 PT FGs), 4 assists, 4 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 10 points (4 of 7 FGs, 2 of 11 FTs), 6 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: SA 51.8% (43 of 83) ORL 48.8% (39 of 80)
3 PT FG%: ORL 41.7% (10 of 24) SA 31.6% (6 of 19)
FT%: SA 76.9% (20 of 26) ORL 46.2% (12 of 26)
REB: ORL 39 (11 offensive) SA 39 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: SA 21/8 ORL 18/11
BENCH: ORL 40 SA 20

Other game notes and stats:

-Manu Ginobili scored his 43 points (in 35 minutes) on 13 of 25 FGs, 3 of 6 3 PT FGs, and 14 of 17 FTs; he also added 6 rebounds and 5 assists
-Three other Spurs scored in double figures, as Tim Duncan came on in the second half to score 19 of his 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting overall and grabbed 8 rebounds
-Matt Bonner came off the bench to add 15 points along with 6 rebounds
-The Magic starters were outscored by the Spurs' starters 92-60
-Nelson and Carter combined to shoot 12 of 31 from the field
-Jason Williams, Ryan Anderson, and Marcin Gortat combined to score 7 points off the bench on 2 of 8 shooting
-Duncan and Antonio McDyess combined to shoot 15 of 18 from the field for the Spurs
-In his last two games, Pietrus has scored a total of 42 points on 14 of 17 shooting, including 8 of 9 on threes
-Cleveland's win over Atlanta, combined with the Magic loss, officially clinched the number one seed for the Cavaliers; the magic number for the Magic to clinch the SE division is now 2

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

Game review: Magic (53-22) 97, Mavericks (50-26) 82

2010-04-02T01:46:00.002-04:00

The rested Magic, not having played since Sunday, took advantage of a Dallas team that played a tough game that went into overtime the previous night. The Magic dominated, especially in the second half, as their largest lead was 18 points. Mickael Pietrus, after sitting out three games with a sprained ankle, starred in reserve, scoring 24 points and was perfect on all 6 three pointers. Dwight Howard had another strong defensive game with 20 rebounds and 5 blocks.

In a low-scoring first quarter in which neither team led by more than 4 points, the Magic led 18-16 going into the second. The second quarter continued to be low-scoring and close, as the last tie of the game came at 32 with 5:46 remaining before the Magic closed the half on a 11-4 run to lead 43-36 at the half. The Magic gradually extended their lead in the third quarter and led by as much as 68-50 before going into the fourth with a comfortable 72-56 lead. The Magic's largest lead of the game was 83-65 with 7:34 remaining and still led 90-75 with 3:37 remaining before the Mavericks went on a 7-1 run to briefly cut the Magic lead to single digits at 91-82 with 1:14 remaining before Pietrus put the game away for the Magic with two three pointers.

Magic leading scorers

Mickael Pietrus: 24 points (7 of 8 FGs, 6 of 6 3 PT FGs, 4 of 6 FTs)
Vince Carter: 19 points (8 of 17 FGs, 1 of 2 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 17 points (6 of 11 FGs) 20 rebounds, 5 blocks)
Jameer Nelson: 14 points (6 of 14 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs), 7 assists, 6 turnovers

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 48.6% (35 of 72) DAL 38.3% (31 of 81)
3 PT FG%: ORL 58.3% (14 of 24) DAL 28.6% (4 of 14)
FT%: DAL 94.1% (16 of 17) ORL 61.9% (13 of 21)
REB: ORL 43 (7 offensive) DAL 42 (10 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 15/14 DAL 7/10
BENCH: DAL 38 ORL 35

Other game notes and stats:

-Pietrus's 24 points was his second highest total in a Magic uniform, second only to the 27 points he scored last season againt Indiana; the 6 three pointers matched a career high
-Dirk Nowitzki was the only Mavericks' starter to score in double figures with 24 points, but shot just 9 of 22; Juan Jose Barea and Jason Terry each scored 16 points off the Mavericks' bench, with Barea scoring his points all in the second half in 17 minutes
-Erick Dampier led the Mavericks with 11 rebounds in reserve
-Other than Nowitzki, the other four Mavericks' starters combined to score 20 points on a combined 7 of 28 shooting
-The Mavericks' starting backcourt of Jason Kidd and Caron Butler combined to score 10 points on 2 of 12 shooting; they each had 2 assists to lead Dallas
-Nelson and Carter, after starting the game a combined 1 for 10 shooting, made 13 of their final 21 shots combined
-Rashard Lewis scored 6 points on 2 of 6 shooting in 31 minutes for the Magic
-Ryan Anderson was scoreless in 3:38 in the first half, while Brandon Bass scored 8 points in 12 second half minutes

Game night preview

2010-04-01T04:12:00.002-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC at DALLAS MAVERICKS
Thursday, April 1. 8:00 p.m. TNT
American Airlines Center
Dallas, TX

There’s no player who has been more trouble for the Magic during their 2009-10 campaign than Caron Butler. After getting the best of Orlando twice this season with the Washington Wizards, Butler once again dealt the Magic a defeat on Feb. 19, this time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Orlando will get its final opportunity this season to earn a victory against Butler and Dallas when the two league powerhouses meet on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Butler has been a nightmare for the Magic this season, averaging 23.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game versus Orlando. He’s also burned them in the clutch, drilling a game-winning corner jumper with 0.5 seconds left on Feb. 5.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Orlando	52-22	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.9	95.0	Road 22-15	Won 2	8-2
Dallas	50-25	1st Southwest / 2nd West	101.8	99.6	Home 26-11	Won 3	6-4

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Also, check out this Dwight Howard interview from Ball Don't Lie from Yahoo! Sports.

This week for the Magic

2010-03-30T02:15:00.000-04:00

The Orlando Magic are currently 52-22 (30-7 home, 22-15 road) and are in 1st place in the SE 4 1/2 games ahead of second place Atlanta (47-26). The Magic are the second seed in the East, 6 games behind number one seed Cleveland (58-16) and 4 1/2 games ahead of third seed Boston (47-26). The Magic have the third best record in the NBA behind Cleveland and the LA Lakers (54-20).

The Magic are averaging 101.9 ppg (10th) and allowing 95.0 ppg (6th). The Magic have an offensive rating of 110.3 (8th) and a defensive rating of 102.8 (3rd).

Last season after 74 games, the Magic were 55-19.

Here is the schedule for the Magic this week:

Apr. 1st: at Dallas (8 PM) 49-25, 26-11 home, 6-4 last 10 games
Apr. 2nd: at San Antonio (8:30 PM) 44-29, 26-11 home, 6-4 last 10 games
Apr. 4th: Memphis (6 PM) 38-35, 16-20 road, 6-4 last 10 games

The "magic number" for the Magic to clinching the second seed over Boston and Atlanta is four. The "magic number" for Cleveland for clinching the number one seed over the Magic is three.

Game review: Magic (52-22) 103, Nuggets (48-26) 97

2010-03-28T23:09:00.002-04:00

The Magic, despite losing Vince Carter to a sprained big toe just 1:35 into the game, had sensational performances off the bench from J.J. Redick (23 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) and Ryan Anderson (19 points on 7 of 8 shooting) as the Magic pulled away from the Nuggets in the fourth quarter after a close game throughout.

The Nuggets held the lead through most of the first quarter, leading by as much as 15-9, before the Magic took back the lead briefly 22-19, but the Nuggets scored the final 5 points of the quarter to lead after one 24-22. The Magic led by as much as 40-35 in the second quarter before going into halftime with a slim 52-51 lead. The Nuggets quickly jumped out on a 16-5 run to open the third and lead 67-57. The Magic scored 9 points in a row to get back within a point, and tied the game at 77 entering the fourth. Redick and Anderson combined to score the first 8 Magic points of the fourth, as the Magic never trailed in the final quarter and led by as much as 103-92 with under a minute left.

Magic leading scorers

J.J. Redick: 23 points (8 of 15 FGs, 3 of 7 3 PT FGs), 8 assists, 7 rebounds
Ryan Anderson: 19 points (7 of 8 FGs, 4 of 5 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 18 points (7 of 15 FGs, 4 of 9 FTs), 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks
Matt Barnes: 16 points (6 of 10 FGs), 5 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 15 points (6 of 14 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs), 4 assists
Rashard Lewis: 10 points (4 of 11 FGs, 1 of 5 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: DEN 52.5% (42 of 80) ORL 49.4% (39 of 79)
3 PT FG%: ORL 37.9% (11 of 29) DEN 31.2% (5 of 16)
FT%: DEN 72.7% (8 of 11) ORL 63.6% (14 of 22)
REB: DEN 39 (9 offensive) ORL 37 (10 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 25/9 DEN 18/10
BENCH: ORL 44 DEN 29

Other game notes and stats:

-Redick's 23 points was the second highest total of his career, while his 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 46 minutes were all career highs
-Carmelo Anthony (26 points) and Chauncey Billups (18 points) led the Nuggets, but needed a combined 42 shot attempts (19 of 42)
-Redick and Anderson combined for 42 points on just 23 shot attempts (15 of 23)
-J.R. Smith scored 13 points off the Nuggets' bench
-Redick played the remaining 46:25 of the game after Carter left with his injury; Mickael Pietrus was also unavailable with a sprained ankle
-Marcin Gortat was the only other Magic reserve to score with 2 points in 5 minutes
-The Nuggets' bench combined to shoot 13 of 20 from the field
-The Magic had twice as many free throw attempts than the Nuggets (22-11)
-With Cleveland's win over Sacramento, the Cavaliers magic number to clinching the number one seed is down to three
-With Atlanta's win over Indiana and Boston' loss to San Antonio, the Hawks and Celtics are tied for the third seed, with the Magic's magic number to clinching the second seed at five

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

Game night preview

2010-03-28T03:54:00.002-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. DENVER NUGGETS

Sunday, March 28. 6:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

The Nuggets will visit the Magic on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET in a possible preview of June’s championship series. These two NBA powerhouses also possess two of the more “underrated” MVP candidates. Carmelo Anthony, first off, is having arguably the best season of his career. The three-time All-Star is averaging nearly 29 points and seven rebounds per game, and has his team on pace to win the most games in a season in franchise history since Denver joined the NBA in 1976. Dwight Howard, similarly, has been absolutely tremendous since the All-Star break. Superman leads the league in rebounds and blocks and had a stretch of 20 straight double-doubles recently. In their last meeting on Jan. 13, Anthony racked up 27 points and Chauncey Billups contributed 24 as the Nuggets rolled to a 115-97 victory at the Pepsi Center. Matt Barnes led Orlando in the loss with a season-best 28 points.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Denver	48-25	1st Northwest / 2nd West	107.2	102.5	Road 18-19	Won 1	6-4
Orlando	51-22	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.9	94.9	Home 29-7	Won 1	8-2

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 5 1/2 point favorites.

Game review: Magic (51-22) 106, Timberwolves (14-59) 97

2010-03-27T01:26:00.001-04:00

The Magic held Minnesota to 43 second half points to send the Timberwolves to their 15th consecutive defeat. Dwight Howard led the Magic with 24 points, 19 boards. Ryan Anderson came off the bench to score 19 points, his first game in double figures since February 17th.

The Magic got off to a slow start, as the T-Wolves led for virtually the whole first quarter and had their largest lead of 25-18 before settling for a 29-27 lead after one. The lead changed hands several times in the second quarter, as the T-Wolves last lead of the game was 53-52 with 2:58 remaining. The Magic scored 6 of the final 7 points of the half and led 59-54 going into halftime. The Magic extended their lead to 75-60 in the third quarter, but the T-Wolves cut the lead back to single digits 82-73 going into the fourth. They could get no closer, as the Magic put the T-Wolves away with a 18-6 run to open the fourth for a 100-79 lead with 5:21 left. Minnesota scored the final 7 points of the game to make the final somewhat respectable.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 24 points (6 of 7 FGs, 12 of 16 FTs), 19 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists, 3 steals, 5 turnovers
Ryan Anderson (bench): 19 points (6 of 16 FGs, 3 of 9 3 PT FGs), 9 rebounds, 2 steals
J.J. Redick (bench): 14 points (4 of 8 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs)
Vince Carter: 13 points (5 of 9 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
Matt Barnes: 11 points (5 of 11 FGs) 7 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 10 points (4 of 10 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 45.6% (36 of 79) MIN 44.3% (39 of 88)
3 PT FG%: ORL 36.1% (13 of 36) MIN 31.2% (5 of 16)
FT%: ORL 80.8% (21 of 26) MIN 73.7% (14 of 19)
REB: ORL 51 (15 offensive) MIN 39 (10 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 24/17 MIN 14/12
BENCH: ORL 45 MIN 29

Other game stats and notes:

-Jameer Nelson was 1 of 4 for 3 points and was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, but he led the Magic with 7 assists with just 1 turnover
-Five T-Wolves scored in double figures, led by F Al Jefferson with 18 points, 13 rebounds
-Former Magic C Darko Mikicic, starting for the T-Wolves, scored 14 points on 7 of 16 shooting and added 5 assists and 4 rebounds
-F Kevin Love led the Minnesota reserves with 14 points, 7 rebounds
-Anderson scored his 19 points in 23 minutes for the Magic, and came within one point of a season high
-Jason Williams added 8 points, 5 assists off the bench for the Magic
-The T-Wolves outscored the Magic 68-46 on two point shots, but the Magic outscored the T-Wolves 39-15 on three pointers
-From the 3:22 mark of the second quarter to the 3:57 mark of the third quarter (11:25 total), the T-Wolves missed 19 of 21 shot attempts
-The T-Wolves made just 6 of 20 shots in the third quarter
-Cleveland's magic number to clinching the East remains at 4, as the Cavaliers lost to the Spurs to allow the Magic to gain a game to pull within 6 games with 9 remaining
-Atlanta lost, while Boston won their game to allow the Celtics to take over the third seed in the East (the Magic, if they win the first round, would play the winner of the matchup between the third and sixth seeds in the second round)

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

Game night preview

2010-03-26T04:05:00.002-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Friday, March 26. 7:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

In their previous meeting this season on New Year’s Day, Orlando buried 15 3-pointers and outscored Minnesota by 10 in the fourth quarter to coast to a 106-94 victory at the Target Center. Rashard Lewis led six Magic players in double figures with 21 points. The best one-on-one matchup may be at the point guard position between Jameer Nelson and Jonny Flynn. The rookie out of Syracuse erupted for 23 points against the Magic last meeting.

	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Minnesota	14-58	5th Northwest / 15th West	98.0	107.6	Road 5-32	Lost 14	0-10
Orlando	50-22	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.8	94.9	Home 28-7	Lost 1	8-2

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 14 1/2 point favorites.

Game review: Hawks (46-25) 86, Magic (50-22) 84

2010-03-25T00:19:00.000-04:00

The Magic, after trailing 78-67 with 5:38 remaining, went on a 17-6 run to tie the game on Vince Carter's three pointer with 9.9 seconds remaining, only to see Atlanta win the game on Josh Smith's put-back dunk off Joe Johnson's miss just before the final buzzer. The Magic wasted a 19 point, 24 rebound, 4 blocks performance from Dwight Howard, and a game high 20 points and 8 assists from Jameer Nelson, as the Hawks defeated the Magic for the first time this season after losing the first three games to the Magic by an average of 23 points.

It looked like the Magic would be on their way to another rout of the Hawks, as they jumped out to a 15-2 lead, as the Hawks made just 1 of their first 11 shots. The Hawks cut their deficit to 22-16 at the end of one. The Magic were able to keep a slim lead for much of the second quarter and led 40-37 with 2:06 in the quarter remaining, but the Hawks ended the half on a 9-2 run to lead 46-42. The Hawks led by as much as 61-50 in the third quarter before the Magic cut their deficit to 68-62 after three. The Hawks extended their lead to 78-67 before the Magic would come back to set up the exciting finish.

Magic leading scorers

Jameer Nelson: 20 points (6 of 13 FGs, 2 of 6 3 PT FGs), 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 turnovers
Dwight Howard: 19 points (4 of 11 FGs, 11 of 16 FTs), 24 rebounds, 4 blocks, 5 turnovers
Vince Carter: 16 points (7 of 16 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs), 4 assists
Matt Barnes: 12 points (4 of 8 FGs) 2 of 4 3 PT FGs), 7 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ATL 40.8% (31 of 76) ORL 37.5% (27 of 72)
3 PT FG%: ATL 53.8% (7 of 13) ORL 28.6% (6 of 21)
FT%: ATL 85% (17 of 20) ORL 77.4% (24 of 31)
REB: ORL 48 (9 offensive) ATL 38 (3 offensive)
AST/TO: ATL 21/11 ORL 20/13
BENCH: ATL 24 ORL 11

Other game notes and stats:

-Six Atlanta players scored in double figures, led by Joe Johnson with 17 points, 8 assists; C Al Horford added 12 points, 11 rebounds
-The Hawks outshot the Magic from the field, the three point line, the free throw line, and had 2 fewer turnovers than the Magic
-Rashard Lewis was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, as he scored 6 points on 2 of 9 shooting, including 0 for 4 on threes, and failed to block out on Smith's game-winning dunk
-J.J. Redick led the Magic reserves with 5 points, but shot just 1 of 7
-Former Magic G Maurice Evans scored 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting for the Hawks, all in the first half
-Redick and Jason Williams combined to shoot 1 of 10 for the Magic
-The Magic's Mickael Pietrus scored 4 first half points before leaving with an injury with 2:52 remaining in the first half
-The Hawks went 8:45 in the fourth quarter without a field goal, shooting 0 for 7 with 4 turnovers during this span to allow the Magic to get back in the game
-The Magic were 18 of 22 from the FT line in the second half
-Marcin Gortat was called for 3 fouls in 4 scoreless first-half minutes and didn't play in the second half; Brandon Bass played just 6 minutes and scored 2 points
-The Hawks now trail the Magic by 3 1/2 games, while the Magic now trail number one seed Cleveland by 7 games with 10 games remaining

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

Game night preview

2010-03-24T04:37:00.000-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC at ATLANTA HAWKS
Wednesday, March 24. 7:00 p.m.
Philips Arena
Atlanta, GA

Don’t be surprised when the Magic’s road matchup with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET) has the feel of a postseason affair. With only a 4.5-game differential separating the Southeast Division rivals, there’s a lot more on the line than your average regular season contest. A win over Atlanta would all but wrap up the Southeast Division for Orlando. Assuming there’s no shift in the standings prior to the matchup, a victory would give the Magic a 5.5-game division lead and complete a four-game season sweep of the Hawks – giving Orlando the head-to-head tiebreaker – with just 10 contests to play. But winning in Atlanta will be no easy task. The Hawks are tied for the fourth-best home record in the league – fittingly with the Magic – and have won six straight games in the friendly confines of Philips Arena. They also secured a playoff spot on Sunday with a thrilling overtime victory over the Spurs. Crawford, a frontrunner for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, has been a big factor in Atlanta’s push for the postseason and has been playing his best basketball down the stretch. He’s averaging a season-high 21.3 points per game in the month of March and will certainly be a focal point of Orlando’s defensive game plan.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Orlando	50-21	1st Southeast / 2nd East	102.1	95.0	Road 22-14	Won 3	9-1
Atlanta	45-25	2nd Southeast / 4th East	102.4	97.7	Home 28-7	Lost 1	6-4

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Here is an article about the return of Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Cleveland.

Game review: Magic (50-21) 109, 76ers (24-47) 93

2010-03-23T00:43:00.000-04:00

For the third consecutive season, the Magic reached the 50 win plateau as Rashard Lewis continued his resurgence with 24 points and five other Magic players scored in double figures.

In a close first quarter, both teams had no bigger than a 4 point lead as the Magic led after one 27-23. The 76ers' last lead of the game came at 33-31 before the Magic went on a 25-14 run to end the first half to lead 56-47 at the half. The Magic's largest lead of the third quarter was 69-56 before the 76ers went on a 11-2 run to come with 71-67, but the Magic increased their lead to 82-72 after three quarters. The 76ers hung in there, trailing 98-90 with 4:12 remaining before the Magic went on a 11-3 run the rest of the game to put the 76ers away.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 24 points (8 of 12 FGs, 3 of 7 3 PT FGs)
Dwight Howard: 23 points (9 of 11 FGs, 5 of 12 FTs, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers)
Vince Carter: 17 points (4 of 11 FGs, 7 of 8 FTs, 5 assists)
Matt Barnes: 14 points (4 of 4 3 PT FGs)
Jason Williams (bench): 10 points (4 of 7 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs)
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 10 points (3 of 6 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 52.2% (36 of 69) PHI 42.9% (36 of 84)
3 PT FG%: ORL 51.6% (16 of 31) PHI 42.9% (6 of 14)
FT%: ORL 70% (21 of 30) PHI 68.2% (15 of 22)
REB: PHI 40 (15 offensive) ORL 40 (6 offensive)
AST/TO: PHI 23/10 ORL 20/13
BENCH: ORL 26 PHI 18

Other game notes and stats:

-Three 76ers scored in double figures, led by Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala with 23 points each; C Samuel Dalembert added a double/double of 16 points, 14 rebounds
-Jameer Nelson was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, as he scored 5 points on 2 of 10 shooting, but led the Magic with 6 assists
-Howard and Lewis combined for 47 points on 17 of 23 shooting
-The 76ers' bench combined to shoot just 8 of 32
-The Magic bench combined to shoot 6 of 10 on threes
-Brandon Bass played only 3 minutes off the Magic bench, going scoreless; Marcin Gortat went scoreless in 20 minutes

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

The week ahead for the Magic

2010-03-21T21:25:00.003-04:00

The Orlando Magic begin the week at 49-21 (28-7 home, 21-14 road), in first place in the SE 3 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta (45-24) and are the number two seed in the East, 3 1/2 games ahead of third seeds Atlanta and Boston (45-24) and 6 1/2 games behind top seed Cleveland (56-15). The Magic currently have the third best record in the NBA, behind Los Angeles (51-18) and the Cavaliers.

The Magic are averaging 102.0 points per game (10th) and allowing 95.1 points per game (6th). They have an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 110.2 ppg (9th) and a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 102.7 (4th).

Last season after 70 games, the Magic were 52-18.

The Magic have 4 games on tap this week:

-Mon. March 22nd: at Philadelphia (7 PM) 24-46 (11-23 home) 2-8 last 10 games
-Wed. March 24th: at Atlanta (7 PM) 45-24 (28-7 home) 8-2 last 10 games
-Fri. March 26th: Minnesota (7 PM) 14-56 (5-31 road) 0-10 last 10 games
-Sun. March 28th: Denver (6 PM) 47-23 (17-17 road) 8-2 last 10 games

The Magic have beaten the Hawks easily 3 times this season; we'll see if that trend continues, as the Hawks continue to play solid basketball. Also, a tough challenge next Sunday with the Nuggets in town.

Possible first round playoff matchups for the Magic

2010-03-20T03:48:00.004-04:00

With the playoffs slated to start in less than a month, here's a look at some of the possibilities the Orlando Magic face in the first round. The Magic remain firmly entrenched as the second seed in the East, and if they finish second, they will play the 7th seed, which currently is Miami, but the Heat are only 1/2 game behind Charlotte for 6th place and 1 game ahead of Toronto, which is the eighth seed.

Since the race for the final 4 seedings in the East is so close, there are 5 possible teams the Magic could play in the first round:

-5th seed Milwaukee (37-30)... Bucks are playing the best of the five teams, and are unlikely to slide down from the fifth seed; Magic are 3-0 against the Bucks
-6th seed Charlotte (35-33)... Magic are 3-1 against the Bobcats
-7th seed Miami (35-34)... Magic are 2-2 against the Heat
-8th seed Toronto (33-34)... Magic are 3-1 against the Raptors
-9th seed Chicago (31-37)... Bulls are ravaged with injuries, and have their work cut out for them to make the playoffs; Magic are 2-1 against the Bulls

Any one of those teams might win one game or even two games of a seven game playoff series against the Magic, as Philadelphia unexpectedly did last season, but ultimately the Magic being the superior team to any of those teams should allow the Magic to win a series 4-1 or 4-2 against any of those teams.

Game review: Magic (49-21) 108, Heat (35-34) 102 OT

2010-03-19T03:15:00.001-04:00

The Magic, after blowing a 12 point lead with 5:07 remaining in the game, outscored Miami 13-7 in overtime for the win, as all five Magic starters scored in double figures, led by Vince Carter's 27 points and 6 assists. The Magic survived a 36 point night from Dwyane Wade of the Heat.

The Magic ended the first quarter on a 8-1 run to take the lead 29-25 going into the second. The Magic led 38-32 before the Heat went on a 15-3 run to lead 47-41 with 4:09 remaining in the half, but the Magic tied the game at halftime 54-54. Dwight Howard committed his fourth foul 12 seconds into the third quarter, and sat the rest of the quarter as a result. The Magic played well without Howard, leading by as many as 76-69 before going into the fourth with a 76-71 lead. The Magic extended their lead to 88-76 with just over 5 minutes remaining, but went scoreless for 3:46 as the Heat went on a 12-0 run to tie the game at 88. Both teams took the lead in the final 1:21 but couldn't hold their lead as the game went into OT tied at 95. The Heat shot just 1 for 6 in the OT as the Magic took the lead for good at the 2:48 mark.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 27 points (9 of 21 FGs, 3 of 10 3 PT FGs, 6 of 7 FTs), 6 assists
Rashard Lewis: 24 points (8 of 17 FGs, 4 of 8 3 PT FGs), 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
Jameer Nelson: 15 points (7 of 16 FGs), 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Matt Barnes: 13 points (5 of 8 FGs), 9 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 10 points (3 of 9 FGs, 4 of 8 FTs), 11 rebounds, 4 blocks

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 45.5% (40 of 88) MIA 41.1% (37 of 90)
3 PT FG%: ORL 35.5% (11 of 31) MIA 32.0% (8 of 25)
FT%: MIA 83.3% (20 of 24) ORL 68.0% (17 of 25)
REB: ORL 49 (13 offensive) MIA 44 (13 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 22/13 MIA 16/11
BENCH: MIA 25 ORL 19

Other game notes and stats:

-Dwyane Wade scored his 36 points on 12 of 26 shooting and also added 10 rebounds and 7 assists
-Two other Heat players finished in double figures, with Jermaine O'Neal scoring 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks and former Magic PG Carlos Arroyo with 11 points, 5 assists
-J.J. Redick led the Magic reserves with 8 points on 3 of 4 shooting, Marcin Gortat added 6 points, 5 rebounds, and Jason Williams added 5 assists
-The starting Magic frontcourt outscored the starting Heat frontcourt 47-30, held them to 10 of 32 FG shooting, and outrebounded them 31-13
-Howard played just 31 minutes due to his foul trouble, while Barnes, Lewis, and Carter each played 40+ minutes
-Howard picked up his 15th technical foul of the season in the overtime

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

Game review: Magic (48-21) 110, Spurs (40-26) 84

2010-03-18T02:09:00.001-04:00

After two days of rest, the Magic played much better Wednesday night after their poor effort Sunday against Charlotte as they never trailed in dominating a San Antonio team playing their second game in two nights. All 12 Magic players scored, led by Vince Carter's 24 points and 8 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis had his best game in a while with 20 points.

Carter scored 16 of his 24 points in the first quarter, as the Magic led by as many as 6 points and led after one quarter 29-24. The Magic started out the second quarter on a 19-4 run to lead 48-28 before the Spurs scored 14 of the final 18 points of the half to cut into the lead 52-42 at the half. The Spurs would get no closer the rest of the game as the Magic started the second half on a 22-10 run to go ahead by 22 points and led 80-58 going into the fourth. The Magic maintained their 20+ point margin throughout the fourth and led by as many as 29 points.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 24 points (7 of 11 FGs, 3 of 4 3 PT FGs, 7 of 8 FTs), 8 assists
Rashard Lewis: 20 points (7 of 10 FGs, 4 of 6 3 PT FGs)
Jameer Nelson: 10 points (3 of 9 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs)
J.J. Redick (bench): 10 points (2 of 7 FGs, 6 of 6 FTs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 52.1% (37 of 71) SA 42.5% (34 of 80)
3 PT FG%: ORL 43.5% (10 of 23) SA 35.7% (5 of 14)
FT%: ORL 78.8% (26 of 33) SA 78.6% (11 of 14)
REB: ORL 41 (5 offensive) SA 36 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 24/10 SA 17/11
BENCH: ORL 39 SA 37

Other game notes and stats:

-Richard Jefferson with 20 points and Manu Ginobili with 18 points scored in double figures for the Spurs, combining to shoot 17 of 25 FGs
-The rest of the Spurs shot a combined 17 of 55 on FGs
-Spurs' C Tim Duncan shot just 1 of 10 for 5 points along with 6 rebounds
-Spurs' starters Duncan, Antonio McDyess, and George Hill combined for 9 points on 3 of 19 shooting
-Former Magic G/F Keith Bogans scored 2 points on 0 for 2 shooting for the Spurs
-The Magic starters outscored the Spurs' starters 71-47
-The Magic's Dwight Howard played just 24 minutes and scored 9 points along with 7 rebounds
-Marcin Gortat led the Magic with 10 rebounds off the bench along with 7 points
-Carter's 8 assists were a season high
-Jason Williams added 5 assists off the bench
-Only Lewis and Matt Barnes played more than 30 minutes for the Magic
-Mickael Pietrus left the game in the second quarter with a sprained ankle

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

Game night preview

2010-03-17T03:54:00.000-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Wednesday, March 17. 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

After having their eight-game winning streak snapped on Sunday night, the Orlando Magic (47-21, 27-7 home) will attempt to get back on track when they face the San Antonio Spurs (40-25, 16-15 road) for the first time this season at home Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The Magic found themselves on a roll before Sunday’s affair, rattling off eight consecutive victories by an average of 18.1 points per game, but they were unable to get that same type of offensive output against the Bobcats. Despite getting efficient offense out of Dwight Howard, Mickael Pietrus and Vince Carter – who combined for 70 of the Magic’s 89 points – Orlando did not get consistent production from its other players in its loss to Charlotte. Orlando will have a difficult challenge with San Antonio coming to town. Even though the Spurs have been without Tony Parker (broken left hand), they’ve still managed to notch three straight triumphs and have outscored their opponents by 19.3 points per contest during that span. George Hill has filled in admirably as San Antonio’s new starting point guard, averaging 17 points and 6.8 assists per game since Parker’s injury.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
San Antonio	40-25	2nd Southwest / 7th West	100.8	95.7	Road 16-15	Won 4	8-2
Orlando	47-21	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.8	95.1	Home 27-7	Lost 1	8-2

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic this week

2010-03-16T02:28:00.000-04:00

The Orlando Magic are currently 47-21 (27-7 home, 20-14 road), in first place in the SE 3 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta and hold the second seed in the East 5 1/2 games behind number one seed Cleveland (52-15), 3 1/2 games ahead of third seed Atlanta (42-23) and 4 games ahead of fourth seed Boston (42-24). The Magic also hold the third best record in the NBA behind the Cavaliers and LA Lakers (49-18), and ahead of Dallas (45-22) and Denver (45-22).

The Magic are averaging 101.8 ppg (10th) and allowing 95.1 ppg (4th). They have an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 109.9 (9th) and a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 102.7 (5th).

Last season after 68 games, the Magic were 50-18.

The schedule for the Magic this week:

Wed. Mar. 17th: San Antonio (39-25, 15-15 road, 8-2 last 10 games)
Thu. Mar. 18th: at Miami (35-32, 20-14 home, 6-4 last 10 games)

The Magic only play two games this week, but both are tough games against teams who have been playing well recently. The Magic are coming off a disappointing home loss to Charlotte to break their 8 game winning streak. They have little if any chance to catch the Cavaliers for the number one seed, but will be looking to solidify their hold on the second seed in the East.

Game review: Bobcats (34-31) 96, Magic (47-21) 89

2010-03-14T22:17:00.002-04:00

The Magic, going for their franchise-tying 9th win in a row, scored only 36 second half points and were outplayed and outhustled by Charlotte, who had a decisive edge rebounding and converting free throws. The Magic were without Matt Barnes, who sat out with a sprained toe, while the Bobcats were without F Gerald Wallace. Stephen Jackson led the Bobcats with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Dwight Howard led the Magic with 27 points, 16 rebounds.

The Magic led by as many as 4 points in the first quarter, but the Bobcats came on late in the quarter to lead by as many as 5 points and held a 26-25 lead after one. The Magic took the lead early in the second quarter, and led by as many as 6 points on their way to a 53-51 halftime lead. The Magic's last lead of the game was 55-53, as the Bobcats took the lead at the 9:24 mark of the third 57-55 and led by as many as 6 points as they held a 72-68 lead after three quarters. A Jason Williams three pointer pulled the Magic to within 72-71 to start the fourth, but that was as close as the Magic would come as the Bobcats went on a 12-3 run to go ahead 84-74. The Magic scored 7 points in a row to cut their deficit to 84-81 with 4:13 remaining, but could get no closer as the Bobcats went on a 7-2 run to put the game away.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 27 points (12 of 14 FGs, 3 of 10 FTs), 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers
Vince Carter: 23 points (7 of 13 FGs, 3 of 8 3 PT FGs), 6 assists, 4 rebounds
Mickael Pietrus: 20 points (7 of 13 FGs, 5 of 7 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: CHA 46.7% (35 of 75) ORL 45.8% (33 of 72)
3 PT FG%: CHA 50% (5 of 10) ORL 34.4% (11 of 32)
FT%: CHA 80.8% (21 of 26) ORL 57.1% (12 of 21)
REB: CHA 46 (12 offensive) ORL 34 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: CHA 20/15 ORL 16/15
BENCH: CHA 21 ORL 12

Other game notes and stats;

-In addition to Jackson's 28 points, three other Bobcats scored in double figures with Raymond Felton scoring 16 points with 7 assists, Stephen Graham 12 points, 6 rebounds, and Theo Ratliff with 10 points, 9 rebounds; Tyrus Thomas added 9 points mad 9 rebounds off the bench
-Jameer Nelson (4 points) and Rashard Lewis (3 points) combined for 7 points on 3 of 17 shooting, and 1 of 9 3 PT FG shooting for the Magic
-Nelson had only 3 assists in 33 minutes
-Lewis scored his only points of the game on a three pointer with 32 seconds remaining
-Jason Williams led the Magic reserves with 6 points and 3 assists
-The Magic reserves shot a collective 4 of 15 from the field for 12 points
-Howard, Carter, and Pietrus combined to shoot 26 of 40 from the floor for 70 points; the rest of the Magic shot a collective 7 of 32 from the floor, including 3 of 16 on threes
-The Magic's starting frontcourt outscored the Bobcats' starting frontcourt 50-31, but the Magic starting backcourt was outscored 44-27 by the Bobcats' starting backcourt

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

Game night preview

2010-03-14T16:17:00.000-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Sunday, March 14. 6:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

Unlike Saturday’s opponent against a team that is looking to play spoiler, Sunday’s adversary has a completely different agenda. The Charlotte Bobcats are hoping to qualify for the postseason for the first time in their relatively short franchise history. They currently occupy the sixth seed in the East. Along with a prestigious head coach, Larry Brown, and two first-rate level players in Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace (who will miss tonight's game due to injury), Charlotte has depth up front and speed in the backcourt. Some NBA critics and analysts believe come playoff time the Bobcats are the one team who can stun any of the top teams in the East, including the Cavaliers, Magic, Hawks and Celtics. In fact, Charlotte has defeated Cleveland (twice) and the L.A. Lakers this season. Orlando, nonetheless, has beaten Charlotte twice this season – once at Amway Arena and again at Time Warner Cable Arena. On Nov. 16, seven Magic players scored in double figures as Orlando won in Rashard Lewis’ first game of the season. This was also the first game for Jackson in a Bobcats uniform. On Jan. 23, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson each recorded 21 points as the Magic held off the Bobcats in overtime and snapped Charlotte’s nine-game home winning streak.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Charlotte	33-31	3rd Southeast / 6th East	94.9	93.9	Road 9-23	Won 5	6-4
Orlando	47-20	1st Southeast / 2nd East	102.0	95.1	Home 27-6	Won 8	9-1

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 8 1/2 point favorites.

Game review: Magic (47-20) 109, Wizards (21-43) 95

2010-03-13T23:58:00.001-05:00

After a horrendous first quarter that saw them fall behind Washington by 13 points, the Magic got their act together in the second quarter and scored 41 points to take a 6 point halftime lead and continued to extend their lead in the second half to lead by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter. It was the Magic's 8th win in a row, their best winning streak since March-April of 2006. Dwight Howard scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Magic.

The Magic fell behind 6-0 early but came back to take the lead and led 18-17 before the Wizards went on a 16-2 run to close the first quarter to lead 33-20 as the Wizards shot 65% in the first. The Wizards led 37-23 early in the second when the Magic went on a 38-18 run to close the half and led 61-55, as the Magic scored 41 second quarter points. The Magic extended their lead to 76-60 in the third, but the Wizards cut the lead to 85-76 late in the third before the Magic led 88-76 after three. The Magic put the game away in the fourth, going on a 15-4 run to open the quarter to lead 103-80 halfway with 6:04 remaining before cruising to the final.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 28 points (11 of 13 FGs, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers
Vince Carter: 18 points (8 of 18 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs)
J.J. Redick (bench): 18 points (5 of 9 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs)
Brandon Bass (bench): 16 points (6 of 10 FGs), 9 rebounds, 5 turnovers

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 51.9% (41 of 79) WAS 48.8% (40 of 82)
3 PT FG%: ORL 57.1% (8 of 14) WAS 22.2% (2 of 9)
FT%: ORL 82.6% (19 of 23) WAS 76.5% (13 of 17)
REB: ORL 46 (15 offensive) WAS 30 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: WAS 24/10 ORL 20/17
BENCH: ORL 48 WAS 35

Other game notes and stats:

-Three Wizards scored in double figures, led by Andray Blatche with 32 points on 14 of 23 shooting; Blatche scored 23 of his points in the first half
-The Wizards' Shaun Livingston scored a season-high 18 points along with 8 assists
-Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 8 assists along with 9 points
-Jason Williams of the Magic added 9 points with 4 assists off the bench
-Starting forwards Rashard Lewis and Matt Barnes of the Magic combined to score 6 points on 2 of 8 shooting
-Three Wizards' starters, Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Javaris McGee combined to score 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting
-The Magic shot 14 of 19 in the second quarter from the field, 2 of 4 on three pointers, and 11 of 11 from the FT line
-The Magic outscored the Wizards 89-62 after the first quarter
-Brandon Bass of the Magic was credited with his first assist since January 13th, and had his second-highest total in points and minutes played for the season

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

Game night preview

2010-03-13T15:29:00.002-05:00

ORLANDO MAGIC at WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Saturday, March 13. 7:00 p.m.
Verizon Center
Washington, D.C.

The Orlando Magic (46-20, 19-14 road) have played the Washington Wizards (21-42, 12-21 home) twice this season, losing both meetings. But when these two teams meet up again on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET in the nation’s capital, the Magic will see a much different opponent. The Wizards dealt away a few of their premier players at the February trade deadline. Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson were sent to Dallas and Antawn Jamison was traded to Cleveland. In return, Washington ultimately ended up with Al Thornton and Josh Howard, who, shortly after arriving, tore his ACL to finish his season. At the start of the 2009-10 campaign, the Wizards were expected to be one of the Magic’s biggest challengers in the Southeast Division. But, Gilbert Arenas’ absence, on-the-court chemistry issues and frequent injuries to some of their essential role players ended any title dreams in D.C. Nevertheless, Orlando must come prepared to clash with an opponent that has nothing to lose. At this point of the season, it’s common for teams who are already out of the playoff picture to upset some of the elite teams. When examining the schedule the rest of the way, the Magic will play several of these non-playoff teams. As a result, one can expect Head Coach Stan Van Gundy to preach this message to his players. Orlando’s coaching staff, though, can rest a bit easier since many of the Magic players are seasoned veterans who understand the strange dynamic of an NBA season.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Orlando	46-20	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.9	95.1	Road 19-14	Won 7	9-1
Washington	21-42	5th Southeast / 13th East	97.0	101.2	Home 12-21	Lost 6	2-8

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 12 point favorites.

Game review: Magic (46-20) 111, Bulls (31-33) 82

2010-03-12T03:26:00.002-05:00

Injury-plagued Chicago, already missing Joakim Noah and Luol Deng, lost All-Star guard Derrick Rose in the final seconds of the first quarter with a sprained wrist after a collision with Magic center Dwight Howard. As a result, the Magic had their largest halftime lead of the season at 65-33 and cruised to the final for their seventh win in a row. Vince Carter scored 21 of his game-high 23 points in the first half for the Magic.

The Magic never trailed in the game, and had as much as a 28-15 lead in the first quarter before going into the second quarter with a 28-17 lead. The Magic poured it on in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulls 20-3 to end the quarter to go into halftime with the 32 point lead. The Magic led 68-35 early in the third quarter but then went 8 1/2 minutes without a field goal as the Bulls went on a 15-1 run to get to within 69-50 to make some Magic fans nervous, knowing the Magic's penchant for blowing big leads. That was as close as the Bulls got, as the Magic went into the fourth quarter with a 79-51 lead. The Bulls never got closer than 24 points in the final quarter, and the Magic had their largest lead of the game at 109-75 in the final minutes.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 23 points (8 of 13 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs), 4 rebounds
Matt Barnes: 14 points (5 of 8 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs), 4 rebounds
Brandon Bass (bench): 13 points (4 of 5 FGs), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Dwight Howard: 12 points (4 of 6 FGs), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers
J.J. Redick (bench): 11 points (2 of 7 FGs), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 55.1% (38 of 69) CHI 39.8% (33 of 83)
3 PT FG%: ORL 37.5% (9 of 24) CHI 25% (4 of 16)
FT%: ORL 78.8% (26 of 33) CHI 63.2% (12 of 19)
REB: ORL 46 (11 offensive) CHI 29 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 19/21 CHI 19/14
BENCH: ORL 47 CHI 46

Other game notes and stats:

-The Magic's Mickael Pietrus was inactive for the game with a strained neck; Adonal Foyle took his place
-All 11 players who played for the Magic scored at least 4 points
-Four Bulls' players scored in double figures, led by rookie James Johnson with 13 points and Taj Gibson with 12 points, 9 rebounds; Derrick Rose scored just 2 points before leaving the game with his injury
-Jameer Nelson (9 points ) and Rashard Lewis (6 points) were held to single digits
-Jason Williams and J.J. Redick each had 4 assists off the bench to lead the Magic
-Marcin Gortat had a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with 7 points and 2 blocks
-No Magic starter played more than 29 minutes, as Howard played just under 20 minutes
-Redick led the Magic in minutes played with 35
-The Bulls shot just 12 of 37 in the first half (32%) as the Magic shot 23 of 37 (62%)

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

Check out Matt's post underneath this one, as he gives his early playoff predictions.
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A Play-Offs Forecast

2010-03-11T18:59:00.002-05:00

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As the Orlando Magic is peaking towards the end of the regular season, let’s forecast potential match ups in the play-offs:

1. The four top teams in the East are established with CLE and Magic as first and second seeds while BOS and ATL fighting it out for the third and fourth spots. Magic may not be able to catch CLE while neither BOS nor ATL could catch Magic. Magic is currently 4 games ahead of both BOS and ATL, and since Magic has the tiebreaker over both of those teams, Magic has to lose 9 games while BOS and/or ATL winning all their remaining games to be able to pass the Magic for the second spot. There are 17 matches left for Magic, and in my view, the worse the Magic could do is 12-5. This means that Magic will have the home-court advantage for the first and second rounds of the play-offs.
2. The bottom four spots of the East is still between five teams; MIL, TOR, MIA, CHA and CHI. I think that either CHA or MIA would be the potential candidate to play with the Magic in the first round, but none could take more than one game from the Magic.
3. Magic will face either BOS or ATL in the second round (probably ATL because BOS is slumping, and ATL may end up as the third seed). Magic will probably win in 6 games.
4. Get ready for an East finals rematch of last year with CLE.
5. Forecasting the team coming from the West is not easy. While the world champions could never be underestimated, DAL is meshing together with the new roster. DAL probably would have a hard time in the second round with DEN, and if they come through watch out. My prediction is that Lakers would still come through. If Magic makes it to the finals, the way the team is peaking, it would be a lot different compared to last year. Magic’s front-court is deeper and stronger, and at PG Jameer is finding his all-star form, while Fisher is older and slower. In the two games played with Lakers, Magic has shown that they can match up at PF and SF positions, should have considerable edge at C and slight/moderate edge at PG. The SG edge is the only spot that goes to LA. This scenario provides for an exciting finals which, if happens to be the case, I predict that Magic will win the series in 6 games.

Game night preview

2010-03-11T04:11:00.002-05:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. CHICAGO BULLS
Thursday, March 11. 8:00 p.m. TNT
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

After visiting Chicago twice this season, the Orlando Magic (45-20, 26-6 home) will play host to the Bulls (31-32, 12-19 road) for the first time in their 2009-10 campaign this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. This contest will determine the outcome of the season series, since the Magic and Bulls have split their two meetings thus far. After dropping a 101-93 decision on Jan. 2, Orlando bounced back for a 107-87 blowout victory over Chicago on Feb. 10. The Magic used a balanced offensive attack in that affair as seven of their players scored in double figures. This matchup will be extremely meaningful to the Bulls, who are currently fighting for a chance at the postseason. They’ve lost their past five games, and trail the Charlotte Bobcats by one game for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Chicago	31-32	3rd Central / 9th East	97.5	99.5	Road 12-19	Lost 5	4-6
Orlando	45-20	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.7	95.3	Home 26-6	Won 6	8-2

Update: The Bulls' Luol Deng will miss the game with a strained right caf, so the Bulls will be without Deng and Joakim Noah.

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Game review: Magic (45-20) 113, Clippers (25-39) 87

2010-03-10T00:15:00.000-05:00

Six Magic players scored in double figures, led by Dwight Howard's 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 of the 12 Magic players who played scored as the Magic easily dispatched of the LA Clippers, who were playing without G Eric Gordon and with Baron Davis coming off the bench because of a stomach ailment.

The Clippers held their only lead of the game at 2-1 and stayed close to the Magic for the first 8 minutes as the Magic held a 17-15 lead; the Magic were able to extend their lead to 31-21 at the end of one quarter. The lead stayed in double digits the rest of the game as the Magic scored 36 second quarter points for a whopping 67-41 lead at the half. The Magic never saw their lead dip below 22 points in the second half and led by as much as 84-54 in then third before going into the fourth quarter with a 91-68 lead. The Magic led by as many as 29 points in the fourth.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 22 points (9 of 12 FGs), 15 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers
Jameer Nelson: 17 points (6 of 13 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 8 assists, 5 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 15 points (6 of 11 FGs, 1 of 4 3 PT FGs)
Vince Carter: 13 points (5 of 9 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
Matt Barnes: 10 points (3 of 7 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds
J.J. Redick (bench): 10 points (3 of 8 FGs, 3 of 4 3 PT FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 48.9% (45 of 92) LAC 43.0% (37 of 86)
3 PT FG%: ORL 40.7% (11 of 27) LAC 38.1% (8 of 21)
FT%: ORL 100% (12 of 12) LAC 83.3% (5 of 6)
REB: ORL 45 (10 offensive) LAC 42 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 27/8 LAC 21/13
BENCH: ORL 38 LAC 36

Other game notes and stats:

-Four Clippers scored in double figures, led by Baron Davis with 16 points, 9 assists; former Magic forward Drew Gooden added 12 points, 14 rebounds
-Howard played the first 32 minutes of the game before taking a seat for the rest of the game
-Both teams combined to shoot 18 FTs the whole game; on Sunday, the Magic shot 18 free throws in the first quarter alone
-Brandon Bass added 8 points, 5 rebounds off the bench while Mickael Pietrus and Ryan Anderson scored 6 points apiece, but Pietrus was 0 for 5 on three pointers
-No Magic starter played more than 33 minutes
-Anthony Johnson was the only Magic player who did not score

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

This week for the Magic

2010-03-09T02:18:00.001-05:00

The Orlando Magic begin the week with a record of 44-20 (25-6 home, 19-14 road), in first place in the SE, 3 1/2 games ahead of second place Atlanta (40-23). The Magic currently hold the second seed in the East, 5 1/2 games behind first seed Cleveland (50-15), 2 1/2 games ahead of third seed Boston (40-21), and 3 1/2 games ahead of fourth seed Atlanta. The Magic also have the third best record in the NBA, behind the Los Angeles Lakers (46-18) and Cleveland. The Magic have a 30-11 conference record, and a 7-4 divisional record.

The Magic are averaging 101.6 ppg (10th of 30), with an offensive rating of 109.4 (9th of 30). The Magic are allowing 95.5 ppg (6th of 30), with a defensive rating of 102.9 (4th of 30).

After 64 games last season, the Magic had a record of 47-17.

Here is the schedule this week for the Magic:

Tues. Mar. 9th: Los Angeles Clippers (25-38, 7-24 road, 4-6 last 10)
Thur. Mar. 11th: Chicago (31-31, 12-19 road, 5-5 last 10)
Sat. Mar. 13th: at Washington (21-39, 12-19 home, 4-6 last 10)
Sun. Mar. 14th: Charlotte (30-31, 8-23 road, 4-6 last 10)

The Magic will be a solid favorite in each of those games, as three of the four games are at home, none of those four teams has a record over .500, and the Bulls are missing a key player in C Joakim Noah. If the Magic do win all four games, they will have a 9 game winning streak going into next week.

Game review: Magic (44-20) 96, Lakers (46-18) 94

2010-03-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

In a tough, extremely physical contest that saw a combined 53 fouls called (with several questionable calls against both teams) and the two teams shooting a combined 65 free throws, the Magic led for most of the game and held off several Lakers' runs in the fourth quarter, including a missed Kobe Bryant jumper that would have tied the game in the final seconds. The Magic were able to hold on despite missing 10 of their final 21 free throws and committing 20 turnovers. The Magic held the Lakers to just 37.5% shooting and outrebounded them by 11. The Magic also had all 5 starters in double figures while the Lakers had just 3 starters in double figures, including 34 points from Bryant, who needed 30 shots to get those points.

The Lakers' only leads of the game came in the first quarter at 10-9 and 12-9. It was a foul-plagued quarter, with the Magic making 17 of 18 free throws (Vince Carter 10 of 10) and the Lakers 9 of 11 free throws as the Magic led by as much as 31-21 before going into the second quarter with a 31-24 lead. The Magic were able to maintain that lead throughout the second, but the Lakers scored the final 4 points of the half to make it 52-48 Magic at halftime.

The Magic went on a 10-2 run later in the third for their largest lead of the game at 71-59, and led 74-64 going into the fourth. The Lakers scored the first 8 points of the fourth to pull within 74-72, as the Magic did not make a field goal in the fourth until 5:23 elapsed. A key sequence came when Pau Gasol was called for a flagrant foul against Dwight Howard after a Howard slam to make it 81-74 Magic, but Howard missed the two free throws and Mickael Pietrus was called for offensive goaltending after the missed free throws. The Lakers took advantage of this to pull within 2 points on several occasions, but the Magic always had an answer. A Matt Barnes three pointer gave the Magic a 93-87 lead with 1:10 remaining, but the Magic missed 2 of their next 4 free throws as the Lakers pulled to within 95-84 with 12.9 seconds remaining. Carter could only split his 2 free throws giving the Magic a 96-94 lead, but Bryant missed what would have been the game-tying shot with just over a second remaining as the Magic rebounded as the clock ran out.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 25 points (5 of 10 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs, 13 of 14 FTs)
Dwight Howard: 15 points (6 of 14 FGs, 3 of 8 FTs), 16 rebounds, 2 blocks
Jameer Nelson: 15 points (5 of 14 FGs, 5 of 6 FTs), 9 rebounds, 7 assists
Rashard Lewis: 12 points (4 of 13 FGs, 4 of 9 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds
Matt Barnes: 10 points (4 of 9 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 41.1% (30 of 73) LAL 37.5% (33 of 88)
3 PT FG%: ORL 33.3% (8 of 24) LAL 29.4% (5 of 17)
FT%: LAL 88.5% (23 of 26) ORL 71.8% (28 of 39)
REB: ORL 50 (15 offensive) LAL 39 (14 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 18/20 LAL 16/7
BENCH: ORL 19 LAL 16

Other game notes and stats:

-In addition to Bryant's 34 points, Pau Gasol scored 20 points along with 11 rebounds and Derek Fisher added 11 points
-Bryant and Fisher combined to shoot 16 of 42 from the field
-Bryant took 30 of the Lakers' 70 shots from their 5 starters
-The Lakers' Ron Artest (8 points in 38 minutes)) and Andrew Bynum (5 points in 19 minutes) combined for 13 points on 3 of 15 shooting
-Despite all the foul calls, no one on either team fouled out, but 5 players had 5 fouls
-Barnes and Howard were assessed technicals for the Magic, while Bryant was called for a technical for the Lakers, as Barnes and Bryant exchanged words several times during the game
-Carter was the only Magic starter to shoot at least 50% from the field; the other 4 starters combined to shoot 19 of 50
-Pietrus led the Magic reserves with 7 points in 19 minutes, and Marcin Gortat added 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks off the bench
-Lamar Odom led the Lakers' bench with 8 points and 6 rebounds, but played over 33 minutes
-The Lakers scored 30 fourth quarter points on 13 of 25 shooting, as the Magic were held to 22 points in both the third and fourth quarters, but the Lakers could just score 16 third quarter points
-Bryant shot 7 of 16 in the fourth quarter as he scored 18 points
-The Magic missed their first 7 shots in the fourth quarter but made 7 of their final 8 shots
-The Magic were just 7 of 13 on free throws in the fourth quarter with 5 turnovers

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

Game day preview

2010-03-07T04:36:00.001-05:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Sunday, March 7. 2:30 p.m. ABC
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

Orlando Magic fans have long-awaited the return of the L.A. Lakers (46-17, 17-12 road) to Amway Arena since last year’s NBA Finals. There would potentially be nothing more satisfying for Magic supporters than to get revenge on the reigning champions. On Sunday in front of a national audience, the Magic (43-20, 24-6 home) will have an opportunity to earn some retribution when they host the Lakers at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Last June, L.A. captured its 15th NBA Title when it eliminated Orlando in five games. However, the Magic played very competitively in the series and nearly won two of the four games they lost. It would be a humongous confidence builder if the Magic can prove they can beat the Lakers. The last time these two teams played at STAPLES Center on Jan. 18, L.A. snuck out a 98-92 triumph. Orlando, nonetheless, played extremely well and for a portion of the contest thoroughly outplayed the West’s top squad. Dwight Howard registered 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Rashard Lewis posted 18 points and Matt Barnes had an all-around solid game with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Since that loss, the Magic are an impressive 17-5 and have re-established their dominance in the Eastern Conference, while the Lakers have lost two games in a row to teams around the .500 mark (Miami and Charlotte).

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Los Angeles	46-17	1st Pacific / 1st West	102.7	96.5	Road 17-12	Lost 2	6-4
Orlando	43-20	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.7	95.5	Home 24-6	Won 4	7-3

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 2 point favorites.

Game review: Magic (43-20) 97, Nets (6-55) 87

2010-03-06T02:35:00.001-05:00

The Magic, led by six players in double figures, never trailed in this game and led by as many as 17 points. Matt Barnes led the way with 16 points, scoring 14 of those points in the first 7 minutes of the game. Former Magic first round pick Courtney Lee sat out for the Nets with a sprained ankle.

The game was tied for the last time at 6 apiece when the Magic took the lead for good, leading 32-18 after one quarter. The Magic led by as many as 45-30 before the Nets ended the half on a 13-5 run to trail 50-43 at the half. The Magic extended their lead to double digits in the third quarter, and led 72-57 going into the fourth. The Magic's largest lead of the game was 88-71 with 4:24 remaining. Credit the Nets for not giving up, as they came within 93-85 with 37 seconds remaining, but never threatened the Magic.

Magic leading scorers

Matt Barnes: 16 points (6 of 10 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Jameer Nelson: 15 points (4 of 9 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs), 8 assists
Vince Carter: 13 points (4 of 11 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs)
Jason Williams (bench): 13 points (5 of 8 FGs, 3 of 5 3 PT FGs)
Dwight Howard: 11 points (5 of 9 FGs), 16 rebounds, 4 assists 4 blocks, 3 steals, 5 turnovers
Mickael Pietrus: 10 points (3 of 6 FGs, 2 of 5 3 PT FGs), 3 assists

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 44.2% (34 of 77) NJ 40% (32 of 80)
3 PT FG%: ORL 41.9% (13 of 31) NJ 36.4% (4 of 11)
FT%: NJ 95% (19 of 20) ORL 66.7% (16 of 24)
REB: ORL 47 (12 offensive) NJ 38 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 24/16 NJ 23/14
BENCH: NJ 38 ORL 33

Other game notes and stats:

-Four Nets scored in double figures, led by Brook Lopez with 18 points, 8 rebounds and a double/double from Devin Harris with 17 points, 10 assists
-Harris and SG Chris Douglas-Roberts of the Nets combined to shoot just 9 of 27
-Barnes outscored the Nets starting forwards (Hassell, Jianlian) by himself 16-6 as the Nets' combo shot just 3 of 11
-Rashard Lewis was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures as he wound up with 9 points on 3 of 14 shooting, including 1 of 6 on threes, but added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals
-Brandon Bass continues to be the first PF off the Magic bench, and scored 7 points along with 4 rebounds
-The Magic shot 12 of 21 in the first quarter, but only 22 of 56 the rest of the game
-Cleveland, Atlanta, and Boston all won, so the top 4 seedings in the East remain unchanged

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

Game night preview

2010-03-05T05:24:00.002-05:00

ORLANDO MAGIC at NEW JERSEY NETS
Friday, March 5. 8:00 p.m.
Izod Center
East Rutherford, NJ
It’s definitely a peculiar travel week for the Orlando Magic (42-20, 18-14 road). They fly to Philadelphia before returning home to play Golden State and then revisit the northeast for a meeting with the New Jersey Nets (6-54, 3-27 home). Nevertheless, Friday’s contest (8 p.m. ET) allows Vince Carter to return to the place he flourished at for half a decade. The eight-time All-Star helped the Nets reach the playoffs in three of the five seasons he was there before being traded along with Ryan Anderson this past summer to the Magic for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. The last time he visited New Jersey on Oct. 30, Carter was having an outstanding night before spraining his left ankle in the first half. Nets fans, however, offered their former superstar a very warm welcome back. Meanwhile, a former Magic fan favorite has begun to play very effectively for his new team. Despite New Jersey struggling this season, Lee has recently increased his scoring average to more than 12 points per game after two tremendous performances last week. He matched a season-best with 28 points against Portland and followed with 21 points in a shocking Nets victory over Boston before spraining his ankle. Lee missed Sunday’s game against Washington and his return date is still questionable.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Orlando	42-20	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.7	95.6	Road 18-14	Won 3	7-3
New Jersey	6-54	5th Atlantic / 15th East	90.3	101.1	Home 3-27	Lost 2	2-8

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.
The Magic are 10 point favorites.

Game review: Magic (42-20) 117, Warriors (17-43) 90

2010-03-03T23:59:00.001-05:00

Seriously undermanned Golden State, with only 8 players dressed and missing Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, and Andris Biedrins, stayed competitive for about the first 17 minutes before the Magic took over the game and led by as many as 30 points on their way to the blowout victory. The Magic doubled the Warriors in rebounding, and all five Magic starters scored in double figures along with reserve Brandon Bass.

The game was tied at 10 apiece early before the Magic took the lead for good and led 32-22 after one. The Warriors came as close as 42-38 with 6:48 remaining in the half before going on a 22-4 run before a Warriors' three pointer made the score 64-45 Magic at the half. The Magic extended their lead in the third quarter, leading from 21 to 29 points before settling for a 94-72 lead after three. The Magic led by 30 points on several occasions in the final period.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 28 points (11 of 17 FGs, 6 of 11 FTs), 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Rashard Lewis: 17 points (5 of 10 FGs, 3 of 7 3 PT FGs), 4 rebounds
Vince Carter: 15 points (7 of 11 FGs), 4 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 13 points (6 of 14 FGs), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover
Matt Barnes: 12 points (6 of 8 FGs), 7 rebounds
Brandon Bass (bench): 10 points (3 of 8 FGs), 7 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 52.2% (47 of 90) GS 42.7% (35 of 82)
3 PT FG%: GS 43.5% (10 of 23) ORL 23.8% (5 of 21)
FT%: ORL 75% (18 of 24) GS 66.7% (10 of 15)
REB: ORL 58 (16 offensive) GS 29 (6 offensive)
AST/TO: GS 21/16 ORL 17/14
BENCH: ORL 32 GS 26

Other Game notes and stats:

-Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by C.J. Watson with 18 points and 4 steals; rookie Stephen Curry added 9 points and 7 assists and Reggie Williams scored 13 points to lead their reserves
-The Magic starting frontline outscored the Warriors' starting frontline 57-37 and outrebounded them 23-11
-The Magic outscored the Warriors 84-50 on two pointers
-All 12 Magic players saw action, and 10 of the 12 players scored
-Ryan Anderson shot 0 for 5 in 5 minutes off the bench; Anthony Johnson also went scoreless in 5 minutes
-Nelson and Bass had a +/- rating of +24 and +21, respectively
-Cleveland, Atlanta, and Boston all won as the Eastern Conference top four seedings remain unchanged

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

Game night preview

2010-03-03T04:18:00.000-05:00

ORLANDO MAGIC vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Wednesday, March 3. 7:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

The Magic will attempt to complete a season sweep of the Warriors when they host Golden State at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Orlando earned a victory in Golden State earlier this season when it notched a 126-118 shootout victory on Dec. 5. Eight-time All-Star Vince Carter was a key factor in that triumph, posting a team-high 27 points, while Mickael Pietrus scored a then season-high 22. Notching a win at Amway Arena will be a difficult challenge for Golden State. Not only is Orlando one of the toughest home teams in the NBA with a 23-6 record, but the Warriors have been atrocious on the road, going 4-24 away from the friendly confines of ORACLE Arena. The Warriors, on the first game of a five game road trip, lost 110-106 loss at Miami Tuesday night, as three of their top players (Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, and Andris Biedrins) did not play due to injury and are not expected to play on the road trip.

Team	Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
Golden State	17-42	5th Pacific / 14th West	107.1	110.6	Road 4-24	Lost 1	4-6
Orlando	41-20	1st Southeast / 2nd East	101.5	95.7	Home 23-6	Won 2	7-3

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 14 1/2 point favorites.

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