Howard achieves NBA scoring milestone in Magic victory over Suns

PHOENIX, Arizona (AFP) - Dwight Howard Orlando reached a milestone marking the NBA on Sunday, but he was happier to finally get out of Phoenix with a win.

Magic has a long history of losing to the Suns, Arizona, dating back to November 2001 - when Howard is only 15 years.

"I had not won here since I'm in the NBA, so it was our goal together," said Howard, "to get a good victory."

He did his part, delivering 26 points with 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. Howard sat the fourth quarter watching from the bench as the Magic completed a 111-88 victory.

For good measure, Howard has surpassed 10,000 career points with a little hook on Robin Lopez in the third quarter, but the stage was very important to him.

"I never look at the points," Howard said. "Rebounds and blocks are what win games for me."

Magic Six other players had two points, led by Brandon Bass 17 and Gilbert Arenas 16

But Magic coach Stan Van Gundy noted that Sun was a "completely different team" without veteran point guard Steve Nash, who missed the contest with what the team called "watershed approach".

Aaron Brooks in place by Nash 19 points and 10 assists.

Aaron Brooks was very good today. He scored a lot, but Steve Nash makes the whole world, everybody plays, "Van Gundy said." We were fortunate that we've played twice without Steve Nash and is a completely different ball game. "

Even so, it was a morale building win at Orlando on Monday before the match against two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Orlando had lost three or four, most recently, a 123-120 overtime loss to Golden State on Friday.

But they dominated the depleted Suns, who are 0-3 without Nash this season.

The defeat meant Phoenix could not lay down the possibility of moving in a half-game of the day before the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final postseason in the Western Conference.

Magic Rally to Stagger LeBron and Miami

MIAMI (Reuters) - The Orlando Magic Miami numbed with a return in the second half inspired on Friday, overcoming a deficit of 24 points with a burst of three points to secure a thrilling 99-96 victory in heat.

The Magic took control with a run of 18 points fools right in the fourth quarter, spelled out a late fee of Miami in the final seconds of the match.

"That one almost defies explanation," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

"Even six minutes into the second half, we just looked down and out. We had no way to stop 'em.

"It was a great comeback. This is probably one of those games I will remember in 10 years. When I forget everything except all losses. This is a victory that I could remember. "

Orlando, who scored an impressive 48 points from the three point line, led all scorers with 24 points from Jason Richardson to move within three games of Miami to lead the Southeast Division.

LeBron James had 29 points and Dwyane Wade added 28 to lead the way to Miami, the duo combined for 47 points as the heat of an advance of 63-45 at halftime.

"We're measuring right now. We just keep pushing through. There is no other way to put it," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

"The guys really wanted it. For most games, we played hard enough to get there and then the tide turned already."

James Scores Season High 51 Points as Heat Slip by Magic

Orlando, Florida - LeBron James had 51 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, as the 23-point lead in the first quarter Miami 104-100 victory at Orlando on Thursday night.

It was a season high of James, whose scoring effort associated with the fifth best score of his career.

The heat has operated a fine line missing injured starting Magic forward Brandon Bass. It took less than 23 points. Dwyane Wade added 15 points and Chris Bosh 13.

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 22 points. Dwight Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds, but only one point after the break and was only 3 to 13 at the free throw line. Jason Richardson chipped in 16 race victory was the fourth straight. Magic lost for the fourth time in their last six season series 2-1 and lost to Miami.

The Heat led by 16 entering the final period and 90-69 before the Magic went 19-4 run, capped by Gilbert Arenas' 3-pointer cut the lead to 94-88 with 1:51 left in the game.

But James responded with his own Trey with the clock winds down to give Miami a 97-88 cushion.

Missed 3-pointer by Richardson at the other end was deflected by James, who was fouled and hit one of two free throws. Another 3 by Richardson narrowed the gap to 98-91 with 51.1 seconds left.

Nelson hit a jumper to cut to 98-93, then 99-95 with a pair of free throws with 22.5 to play.
After a couple of free throws by James to make it 103-97, Nelson hit a 3 point with 9.4 seconds left. The Heat lost the ball in the game that followed the tracks, but the Magic could not draw on their next possession. Wade hit a free throw to provide the final margin.

Heat led 55-45 at halftime as James magic defense picked it apart with a combination of midrange jumpers and runners in the lane.

He hit his shots from a November night and finished the half 29 points. His fast start helped Miami to shoot bubbles 58 percent in the opening 24 minutes.

Howard had 16 points and Turkoglu 11 to help keep the magic of striking distance, as James teammates combined for only 26 points. Bosh scored nine points in the first half, Wade scored five points, but it was November 4 terminals in the field.

James started his scoring spree in the opening 12 minutes straight at Türkoğlu Earl Clark and later when he came off the bench.

He had 23 points in the period, reaching nine of his shots on goal in the field and is June 5 at the free throw line as the Heat was ahead 30-26 in the second quarter.

James' 23 points in the first quarter broke Alonzo Mourning, the Heat scoring 21 points in the book, which established in 1996.

Magic did not help their hairline in front of everyone, getting into foul trouble first.

Howard took only 17 seconds to collect his first whistle of the night and was a bit shy on the inside of the defensive the rest of the period. Ryan Anderson were also hands a little too active when he was forced to the bench after picking up his second foul at the 10:07 mark.

Do You Believe in Magic?

We do things differently around here. And that means watching preseason NBA games. That’s right. Our eyes are on the prize from the moment training camp begins, even on the preseason games.

And after watching the Orlando Magic demolish the New Orleans Hornets to christen their new arena, the plush Amway Center, we have to ask, what happened to the buzz surrounding this Magic team?

A year ago this time they were the crew most of the pundits assumed would step into the void at the top of the Eastern Conference, surpassing both Cleveland and Boston for supremacy on the other side of the aisle of Kobe Bryant‘s Los Angeles Lakers.

Dwight Howard had assumed his position as the league’s most dominant defensive force and his supporting cast was as good as it had ever been, led by a healthy Jameer Nelson, a recharged Vince Carter and an anxious Rashard Lewis, who never seemed concerned with proving his worth.

For a long time last season those pundits looked wise. The Magic shook off some early season uncertainty and by the playoffs they were back to looking like the team that had fallen to Bryant and the Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.

They mowed down to the Bobcats and Hawks in the first two round of the playoffs, toying at times with a Hawks team that won 53 games and owned one of the top four playoff seeds in the East.

Then, inexplicably, some eight games into their postseason run the power went out in Orlando.
A nightmare matchup against a hungry Boston team, the same one (sans an injured Kevin Garnett) they’d eliminated in the East semifinals in Game 7 a year earlier, exposed the Magic’s flaws. We all promptly shoved them aside and watched the Lakers and Celtics battled throughout an epic, seven-game series for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Instead of the Magic reloading this summer and checking into a penthouse suite in the East, they watched as the Miami Heat put together a dream team of their own and the Celtics reloaded for another run at the Finals.

But that doesn’t mean we should just discount the Magic, does it?

Clearly, the Magic have more going on than just trying to restore the luster the franchise enjoyed as recently as two years ago. Whether or not this crew is up to the task remains to be seen.
Using each of the past two seasons as a guide, The Magic would appear to be in the perfect position to upset the favorites and find their way back to the Finals to see if they can finish what they started in 2009.