Dwight Howard leads Orlando Magic to an 86-70 win over the New Jersey Nets - NBA Recap
On Friday night, Orlando Magic trounced the New Jersey Nets, 86-70 at the Amway Center.
It was a big night for Magic fans, as Dwight Howard delivered his 1st performance after announcing that he will be an Orlando member for not only this season but for next season as well. On the other hand, Nets who were
beaten by Orlando 8 consecutive times got a reminder of what they have missed - New Jersey was on the top of Howard trade wish list.
“Superman” tallied a game high 18 points to go with 6 boards; he seemed contended by his decision.
"I don't think anyone asked me any questions about trades, so that part is over with."
Jameer Nelson and Glen Davis poured in 13 apiece while the Ryan Anderson chipped in with a double-double scoring 12 points and had 11 boards. Hidayet Turkoglu and Jason Richardson shared 10 apiece.
Nets were again playing without Deron Williams and Brook Lopez and to make matter worse, their starters shot just 22.5 percent of their field shots and produced only 9 field goals.
Gerald Green scored 14 coming off the bench; DeShawn Stevenson had 11 points reserve Jordan William posted 10. Nets Coach was disappointed with his starters’ effort.
"Our starters had, I think, seven points at the half, and I don't think I've seen that in a long time, if ever."
This game was a fairly one sided affair and Orlando victory was never in a doubt, as they claimed an early 16-8 lead and held it to 22-18 by the end of opening frame. Howard netted 10 points in the quarter.
Magic hung on for a 31-27 advantage midway through the 2nd before sprinting to a 12-2 run to claim a double digit 43-29 advantage. The Nets tried to trim the lead with 7 unanswered points but Nelson hit one from down
town and Magic reclaimed a double digit 46-36 lead at the end of 1st half.
Magic raced further away, to 53-38 with a 7-2 run early in the 3rd stanza. The Nets responded with five consecutive points but Orlando reeled off another 11-2 run and ballooned their margin to 64-45 nearly midway. The
hosts cruised through the ensuing passage and led by 72-53 margin deep. However New Jersey capped of the segment with 7 consecutive points and reduced the deficit to 72-60.
The last 12 minutes of the game were static as both teams went ice cold, resulting in a comfortable Orlando win.
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