Dwight Howard is simply unstoppable.
On Monday, the imposing All-Star Centre pulled off another big night, pounding 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Orlando Magics thrashed the New Jersey Nets in their own back yard.
Orlando barely managed to show up less than 90 minutes prior to the game because one of its buses was stuck in a snowdrift on the way to the Prudential Centre. The Magics though vented all their frustration on the court as they shot hit a dozen 3-pointers
and shot 49 per cent from the field in a 104-88 blowout victory over the Nets.
Six Orlando players notched up double figures with new-comer Hedo Turkoglu leading the charge with 20 points as New Jersey again failed to break the Magic spell, losing three out of three this season.
For the Nets, Devin Harris led all scorers with 24 points and 6 assists and Brook Lopez, who had been dominated all ends up by Howard in the last two encounters, finally managed to break the jinx as he posted 20 points and 7 rebounds.
The match started on an even pace as neither team were allowing any gaps in their defence. The first quarter of play proved an entirely even affair as the game went into a deadlock six time but the Nets managed to come out good with a slightest margin of
25-24.
In the second frame, Magics came out with all guns blazing and rattled off an early 10-2 burst, to spark at a 34-27 advantage. The Nets however, countered immediately with a 12-5 spurt to make it 39-each with 3:50 left until the midway mark.
There was an air of determination about the Magics on the night though as they sprung back with a 12-5 run of their won to restore their dominance at 51-44, as the teams headed for the locker-room.
Staring at a seven-point deficit at halftime, Nets were quick to pounce on the deficit as they outscored the Magics 13-4 to start the second half. Travis Outlaw capped the run with a 3-pointer with 7:35 to play in the third quarter. The counter-attack of
the Nets injected life into the Orlando ranks and they answered with some renewed tactics.
While clogging up the gaps at their end, the Magics displayed some quick offensive passing, bringing the Nets out of their comfort zones. The move completely rattled the Nets defence and started to allow more uncontested shots from both inside and outside
the arc.
The outcome was a game-breaking run for the Magics that came as Turkoglu ripped in a 3-pointer to trigger a 26-12 spurt in the rest of the period and Orlando never looked back.
The assault continued going into the final period and the Magics bludgeoned nine unanswered points to start the frame that completely took the game away from New Jersey’s grasp.
From there on the Nets were never a threat as the match ended at 104-88.
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