Game review: Magic (20-7) 92, TrailBlazers (16-12) 83

The Magic overcame a sluggish night offensively and a game-high 33 points from Portland's Brandon Roy with an otherwise tremendous defensive effort against Portland as the Magic pulled away in the final quarter.

The Blazers scored the first 8 points of the game, and held the lead the remainder of the quarter with the score 21-19 going into the second quarter. The lead changed hands several times in the second quarter, with the Blazers taking control at the end of the half with a 44-39 lead. The Blazers led by as much as 6 points in the third quarter, but the Magic came back to take a one point lead before the score was tied at 65 at the end of three. With the score tied at 76, the Magic finally took the lead for good at the 6:19 mark, as they went on a 11-0 run and led by as many as 12 points on their way to the victory.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 15 points (5 of 10 FGs), 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers
Jason Williams: 13 points (5 of 7 FGs, 3 of 4 3 PT FG)
Dwight Howard: 12 points (4 of 8 FGs), 20 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 turnovers
J.J. Redick (bench): 12 points (5 of 9 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FG)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 42.1% (32 of 76) POR 37.2% (29 of 78)
3 PT FG%: ORL 33.3% (9 of 27) POR 16.7% (3 of 18)
FT%: POR 75.9% (22 of 29) ORL 73.1% (19 of 26)
REB: ORL 54 (13 offensively) POR 35 (8 offensively)
AST/TO: ORL 14/19 POR 7/12
BENCH: ORL 38 POR 25

Other game notes and stats:

-Four players scored in double figures for the Blazers, led by Brandon Roy's 33 points on 13 of 27 FG shooting
-The Magic's Vince Carter had his worst shooting game of the season, going 1 for 14, but made 7 of 8 FTs for 9 points
-The Blazers' starting backcourt (Roy, Andre Miller) outscored the Magic starting backcourt (Carter, Williams) 49-22
-Other than Roy and Miller, the rest of the Blazers shot a combined 11 of 41
-The Magic starting frontcourt (Pietrus, Lewis, Howard) outscored the Blazers' starting frontcourt (Webster, Aldridge, Przybilla) 32-9 and outrebounded them 29-18
-In a statistical oddity, the Blazers had only 7 assists as a team, with no player having more than 1 assist
-The Magic's Anthony Johnson contributed 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists off the bench; Matt Barnes 8 points, 4 rebounds
-Johnson and Carter each had 3 assists to lead the Magic
-Brandon Bass did not see action for the Magic
-The Magic now lead Atlanta by 1/2 game in the SE

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

Game night preview

ORLANDO MAGIC vs PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Saturday, Dec. 19. 7:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

The Magic (19-7, 9-2 home) close out their four-game week when they battle the Portland Trail Blazers (16-11, 6-7 road) on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET at Amway Arena. The matchup initially looked to feature two of the league’s best young centers in All-Star Dwight Howard and Portland’s Greg Oden. However, after Oden went down with a season-ending knee injury, the matchup now has a completely different feel. Portland is 3-3 since losing their young big man, including a double-overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Magic will likely look to capitalize on the Trail Blazers’ misfortune and work the ball inside to Howard. With a thinned frontline, it will make it difficult for Portland to consistently foul the Magic’s All-Star center, a tactic that many of Orlando’s opponents have recently employed to force him to shoot free throws rather than attack the rack from the field. Whichever approach Portland decides to take is of no concern to Howard. “I just look at the big picture,” Howard said. “Sometimes it’s tough, but I just have to keep my composure and understand what other teams are trying to do.”

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Magic are 8 1/2 point favorites.

Game review: Heat (13-11) 104, Magic (19-7) 86

After allowing the Magic to score 6 of the first 8 points of the game, Miami quickly took control and proceeded to blow out the Magic as the Heat lead swelled to as many as 29 points at the end of three.

The Heat led 33-18 at the end on one quarter, and led by as much as 18 second quarter points before settling for a 59-44 halftime lead. The Heat put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring the Magic 30-16 for an insurmountable 89-60 lead after three. The Magic outscored the Heat 26-15 in the fourth to make the final margin of defeat less than 20 points.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 17 points (6 of 11 FGs), 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
J.J. Redick (bench): 13 points (5 of 9 FGs), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Mickael Pietrus: 12 points (5 of 6 FGs)
Vince Carter: 10 points (4 of 10 FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: MIA 51.9% (42 of 81) ORL 43.6% (34 of 78)
3 PT FG%: MIA 50% (7 of 14) ORL 32.1% (9 of 28)
FT%: MIA 68.4% (13 of 19) ORL 52.9% (9 of 17)
REB: MIA 43 (9 offensive) ORL 39 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: MIA 25/9 ORL 12/13
BENCH: MIA 33 ORL 31

Other game notes and stats:

-Four Heat players scored in double figures, led by Dwyane Wade's 25 points, 7 assists and Michael Beasley with 22 points, 8 rebounds
-Former Magic point guard Carlos Arroyo started for the Heat and scored 5 points along with 7 assists
-Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Jason Williams combined for 26 points on 10 for 27 shooting
-Matt Barnes went scoreless for the Magic on 0 for 8 shooting
-Anthony Johnson led the Magic in assists with 5
-Only Lewis and Howard played more than 30 minutes for the Magic, and only Ryan Anderson played less than 10 minutes
-Only Beasley played more than 30 minutes for the Heat
-The Magic are now in a virtual tie with Atlanta in the SE

Here is the complete box score from nba.com

Game review: Magic (19-6) 118, Raptors (11-17) 99

The Magic, thanks to a very efficient offense with 6 players in double figures and Dwight Howard's near triple-double, spoiled Hedo Turkoglu's return to Orlando as the Magic led by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter in the victory over Toronto.

There were several lead changes early in the game, as the Raptors had their last lead at 15-13 before the Magic took over. The Magic shot over 65% in the opening quarter to lead 35-24 after one. The Magic continued their hot shooting pace in the second, leading 66-54 at the half. The Raptors could come no closer than 11 points in the third quarter, as the Magic led 92-79 after three. The Magic went on a 24-10 roll in the final quarter to lead by as much as 116-91 before the final result.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 21 points (8 of 13 FGs, 5 of 8 3 PT FGs)
Matt Barnes (bench): 20 points (7 of 10 FGs), 6 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 18 points (6 of 7 FGs), 14 rebounds, 8 blocks
Jason Williams: 13 points (5 of 6 FGs, 3 of 4 3 PT FGs), 7 assists, 0 turnovers
Anthony Johnson (bench): 13 points (5 of 9 FGs), 4 assists
Vince Carter: 12 points (4 of 10 FGs), 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 57.3% (43 of 75) TOR 43.8% (39 of 89)
3 PT FG%: ORL 46.7% (14 of 30) TOR 41.7% (5 of 12)
FT%: TOR 80% (16 of 20) ORL 78.3% (18 of 23)
REB: ORL 42 (8 offensive) TOR 31 (10 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 28/14 TOR 20/10
BENCH: ORL 52 TOR 36

Other game notes and stats:

-The Raptors had 4 players in double figures, led by Chris Bosh with 20 points, 6 rebounds
-Hedo Turkoglu, in his first game back in Orlando after signing with the Raptors, had 14 points on 2 of 7 shooting along with 4 assists
-All 11 Magic players who saw action scored; only Adonal Foyle did not see action
-Starting SF Mickael Pietrus saw just 17 minutes of action due to the stomach flu
-Only Howard, Lewis, and Barnes played over 30 minutes for the Magic
-The Magic PGs, Williams and Johnson, scored a combined 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting along with 11 assists
-Johnson and Barnes combined for 33 points off the bench
-The Magic's Brandon Bass blocked 3 shots in 9 minutes of play
-The Magic remain 1/2 game ahead of Atlanta in the SE

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

Game night preview

ORLANDO MAGIC vs TORONTO RAPTORS
Wednesday, Dec. 16. 7:00 p.m.
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL

The Magic (18-6, 8-2 home) will welcome back their former teammate Hedo Turkoglu to Orlando for the first time this season when they host his Toronto Raptors (11-16, 4-11 road) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The Magic are 2-0 against the Raptors this season, sweeping the season series at the Air Canada Centre. In both victories, the Magic’s J.J. Redick has played a huge role. After firing off a career-high 27 points while starting in Orlando’s 125-116 triumph on November 1, Redick followed it up with a 19-point showing off the bench in the Magic’s 104-96 win over the Raptors on November 22. “I’ve been around enough that I’m going to play the same way that I always play,” Redick explained. “Whether I start or I come off the bench, I’ll be prepared no matter what.”

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Game review: Magic (18-6) 106, Pacers (8-14) 98

Playing their first home game after a four game road trip, the Magic came out horribly flat and dug themselves a deep hole to get out of, falling behind by as much as 17 points to Indiana early in the second quarter. Thanks to a strong effort from Vince Carter, who led the Magic in scoring despite playing with a stomach ailment; thanks to a strong effort from the Magic bench who brought the Magic back in the game in the second quarter, and thanks to a 21 point, 22 rebound effort from Dwight Howard, the Magic fought back for the win.

After the Magic scored the first 2 points of the game, the Pacers went on a 21-4 tear, and led the Magic after one 30-17, as the Magic shot an icy 6 of 23. Other than Carter, the Magic shot 1 of 13 in the first quarter. Stan Van Gundy let the reserves play much of the second quarter, and they brought the Magic back in the game thanks to a 17-0 run that gave the Magic a 47-44 lead. The Pacers led 54-53 at the half. The Pacers led the majority of the third quarter, leading by as much as 6 points, but the Magic cut their deficit to 81-79 at the end of three. The lead went back and forth for much of the final quarter, with the Pacers having their last lead at 96-94 with just under 5 minutes left, before the Magic went on a 12-0 run to finally put away the stubborn Pacers.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 28 points (10 of 21 FGs), 7 rebounds
Dwight Howard 21 points (4 of 10 FGs, 13 of 22 FTs), 23 rebounds, 4 blocks
Anthony Johnson (bench): 13 points (6 of 11 FGs), 7 assists
J.J. Redick (bench): 13 points (3 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 assists

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: IND 47.7% (42 of 88) ORL 41.9% (36 of 86)
3 PT FG%: IND 31.8% (7 of 22) ORL 31.0% (9 of 29)
FT%: ORL 71.4% (25 of 35) IND 70% (7 of 10)
REB: ORL 48 (11 offensive) IND 45 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: IND 26/10 ORL 18/7
BENCH: ORL 41 IND 32

Other game notes and stats:

-The Pacers outscored the Magic 91-81 from the field, but the Magic outscored the Pacers 25-7 from the free throw line
-The Pacers, missing top player Danny Granger, had 3 players in double figures, led by Mike Dunleavy with 26 points
-The Pacers missed their last 9 field goals of the game
-Magic starting point guard Jason Williams went scoreless with 1 assist
-Carter and Howard were the only Magic starters to score in the first half
-Other than Carter, the Magic starters combined to shoot 11 of 33 from the field
-Carter and Redick combined to shoot 5 for 8 on threes, while the rest of the Magic combined to go 4 for 21
-The Pacers were called for 28 fouls, the Magic 15 fouls
-Howard was called for a technical foul after a hard foul by the Pacers' Troy Murphy in the third quarter
-The Magic now lead Atlanta by 1/2 game in the SE, and remain 2 games behind Boston for the top seed in the East

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

Vince Carter may miss tonight's game against Pacers

Carter has a stomach ailment that caused him to miss practice.

Here's the latest update from the Orlando Sentinel's Tania Ganguili:

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports

The Magic are solid 12 point favorites.

The week ahead for the Magic

The Magic begin this week with a record of 17-6 (7-2 home, 10-4 road), tied for first place in the SE with Atlanta. Boston remains the top seed in the East with a 19-4 record, while Cleveland, at 17-7, has the fourth seed.

The Magic have four games this week, none outside the state of Florida:

Monday, Dec. 14th: Indiana (8-13, 3-7 road) The Pacers are without Danny Granger for several weeks
Wednesday, Dec. 16th: Toronto (11-15, 4-10 road) Hedo Turkoglu makes his return to Orlando as the Raptors continue to struggle despite having a talented roster
Thursday, Dec. 17th: at Miami (11-11, 5-4 road) Heat have lost 10 of their last 15 games, but one of those wins was in Orlando
Saturday, Dec. 19th: Portland (14-11, 6-7 road) Greg Oden's season-ending injury sets Blazers back

After two tough road losses at Utah and Phoenix, Magic should get back on track this week, with a good chance at winning all 4 games; with a worst-case scenario of 3-1.

Game review: Suns (16-7) 106, Magic (17-6) 103

The Magic made a valiant comeback attempt after being down 19 points in the second quarter, but could not overcome 20 pts and 18 assists from Steve Nash and 28 points and 10 rebounds from Amar'e Stoudemire as Phoenix was able to hold on to remain the NBA's lone unbeaten team at home.

The Magic started out very slowly, as the Suns jumped out to a 24-9 first quarter lead as the Magic went nearly 7 1/2 minutes without making a field goal. The Suns led 33-22 after one, and extended their lead by as much as 41-22 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Magic slowly pulled themselves back to trail 61-52 at the half. The Suns went back up by 75-61 with just over 7 minutes remaining in the third before the Magic came back to pull within 85-81 after three. The Magic took their first lead at 90-89, and led by as much as 95-91 with under 6 1/2 minutes remaining. The Suns scored 4 points in a row to tie, and from that point on, the lead changed hands several times. The Magic had their last lead at 103-102 with 1:24 remaining. After the Suns took a 104-103 lead, Anthony Johnson, who played well off the bench in the fourth in place of an ineffective Jason Williams, tried a three pointer, but it went in and out. After a rare turnover by Nash, Johnson dribbled the ball off Mickael Pietrus's foot out-of-bounds as Pietrus went running in front of Johnson as the Magic were setting up on offense. On the ensuing Suns' possession, Stoudemire then grabbed an offensive rebound away from Rashard Lewis and slammed home a missed three with 6.9 seconds remaining. Lewis airballed a three on the Magic's last possession, and a jump ball allowed the Suns to run out the clock.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 24 points (6 of 16 FGs, 3 of 11 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds
Mickael Pietrus: 23 points (8 of 15 FGs, 4 of 8 3 PT FGs), 8 rebounds
Anthony Johnson (bench): 11 points (4 of 10 FGs)
Dwight Howard: 10 points (1 of 1 FGs, 8 of 17 FTs), 18 rebounds, 2 steals, 5 turnovers

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: PHO 47.7% (41 of 86) ORL 42.1% (32 of 76)
3 PT FG%: PHO 35.7% (10 of 28) ORL 34.2% (13 of 38)
FT%: ORL 68.4% (26 of 38) PHO 58.3% (14 of 24)
REB: ORL 51 (15 offensive) PHO 42 (12 offensive)
AST/TO: PHO 27/12 ORL 18/21
BENCH: ORL 38 PHO 25

Other game notes and stats:

-In addition to Nash's 20 points and Stoudemire's 28, the Suns' Jared Dudley tied a career high with 19 points, including 4 three pointers, off the bench
-Former Magic swingman Grant Hill scored 12 points, along with 3 assists and 2 steals
-Vince Carter played just 23 minutes, scoring 8 points, before hobbling off the court with a sore knee in the third quarter and did not return
-Jason Williams did not score in 27 1/2 minutes, shooting 0 for 4; he did have 6 assists but also committed 4 turnovers
-The Magic bench combined to shoot 6 of 13 on threes; the starters just 7 of 25
-The Suns outscored the Magic on two point FGs 62-38
-In an unusual statistical oddity, Howard attempted just 1 field goal in over 41 minutes of play, but did get to the FT line 17 times, making 8.
-The Magic's starting backcourt (Williams, Carter) combined to score just 8 points on 3 of 14 shooting
-Carter did have 6 assists to tie Williams in leading the Magic with assists
-Brandon Bass did not play for the Magic
-The Magic's lead in the SE has been cut to 1/2 game by Atlanta, and the Magic trail Boston by 2 games for the top spot on the East

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

Game night preview

ORLANDO MAGIC at PHOENIX SUNS
Friday, Dec. 11. 10:30 p.m. ESPN
US Airways Center
Phoenix, AZ

The Orlando Magic (17-5, 10-3 road) close out their West Coast trip on Friday when they take on the Phoenix Suns (15-7, 7-0 home) at 10:30 p.m. ET. After facing the arduous task of attempting to win in Utah the night before, Orlando will have to find a way to defeat Phoenix, the league’s only remaining undefeated team at home, on a back-to-back. The Suns are third in the league in scoring, so the Magic will need to bring their best defensive effort in order to leave Phoenix with a victory. “The problem with Phoenix is they create so many problems, particularly in their pick-and-roll game with (Steve) Nash and (Amar’e) Stoudemire, and then they put shooting around them,” Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy explained following their first matchup with the Suns this season. "You can be playing pretty good defense and look pretty bad at times." In their first matchup with the Suns this season, Orlando rolled to a 122-100 home victory, courtesy of a big night from Dwight Howard. The Magic’s All-Star center erupted for 17 of his team-high 25 points in the third quarter to help Orlando pull away for good. The Magic will once again need a dominant performance from Howard in order to help them exploit Phoenix’s lack of interior size.

Here is the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports.

The Suns are 3 point favorites.

Lewis/Van Gundy controversy

According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel from Brian Schmitz, the Magic's Rashard Lewis refused to enter the game last night against Utah in the second quarter when coach Stan Van Gundy asked him to.

Some excerpts:

"(Lewis) didn't want to go back in. I wanted to put him back in with six minutes to go in the second quarter and he didn't want to go back in," Van Gundy said after the Magic (17-5) had their six-game winning streak broken. "He said it was because he had two fouls, and so if you have a guy who doesn't want to play, I'm not going to get in an argument and put him back in if he doesn't want to play at that time.

"He said, `I'm going back in and be out in three or four minutes and Ryan (Anderson) is playing good.'

"I didn't have time to get into it. It's rare and I've never had that in the first half of a game. I was a little baffled by it.'

Asked if he was being defiant, Lewis said, "No, hell, no. I was looking at it and Ryan had 14 points and I had two fouls. Let him play. "

Click here for the whole article.

Game review: Jazz (13-9) 120, Magic (17-5) 111

The Magic appeared to be well on their way to another impressive victory as they led Utah 51-33 with just over 7 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Suddenly, the game turned as the Jazz cut the Magic lead to 8 points at the half and dominated the second half, as the Jazz outscored the Magic 68-51. Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and C.J. Miles led the Jazz charge in what may have been the worst defensive performance by the Magic since Stan Van Gundy has been their coach.

The Magic took control of the game early, as Ryan Anderson scored 11 points in the first quarter as Rashard Lewis was on the bench with 2 quick fouls as the Magic led 35-22 after one. The Magic continued their hot shooting for a while in the second before the Jazz came back and cut ther Magic lead to 60-52 at the half. The Jazz totally dominated the second half, as the Magic's last lead of the game came at the 8:18 mark of the third quarter 63-62. The Magic were able to get within 2 points at 80-78 late in the quarter, but the Jazz extended their lead to 90-81 after three. The Magic were able to get within 92-86 early in the fourth before the Jazz put the game away with a 13-3 run and cruised to the final.

Magic leading scorers

Vince Carter: 34 points (9 of 23 FGs), 6 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 18 points (6 of 11 FGs), 10 rebounds, 2 blocks
Matt Barnes (bench): 17 points (7 of 10 FGs), 5 rebounds
Ryan Anderson (bench): 16 points (5 of 9 FGs), 5 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 10 points (3 of 8 FGs), 3 steals
J.J. Redick (bench): 10 points (3 of 6 FGs)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: UT 50% (42 of 84) ORL 46.1% (35 of 76)
3 PT FG%: ORL 40% (14 of 35) UT 27.3% (6 of 22)
FT%: ORL 84.4% (27 of 32) UT 65.2% (30 of 46)
REB: UT 46 (13 offensive) ORL 40 (5 offensive)
AST/TO: UT 28/6 ORL 18/13
BENCH: ORL 47 UT 36

Other game notes and stats:

-The Jazz had 6 players in double figures, led by Deron Williams with 32 points, 15 assists, and just 1 turnover
-The Jazz's Carlos Boozer also had a double-double of 20 points, 14 rebounds, as did Mehmet Okur with 14 points, 11 rebounds, while C.J. Miles added 22 points off the bench
-The Magic were held to 14 of 35 shooting from the field in the second half
-The Jazz outscored the Magic on two point FGs 72-42
-The Jazz shot 36 of 62 on two pointers, while the Magic shot 21 of 41 on twos
-Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, and Jason Williams combined to score 12 points on 4 of 15 shooting
-The Magic bench combined to shoot 16 of 27 from the field, while the starters shot a combined 19 of 49
-Only three Magic players (Howard, Carter, and Williams) played more than 30 minutes
-Carter's 34 points were a season high for any Magic player
-Miles and Paul Millsap scored all 36 points off the Jazz bench
-The Magic now trail Boston by 1 game for the top spot in the East

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