Towering Dwight Howard performance helps Orlando Magic past Chicago Bulls 99 – 94 – NBA Recap
Orlando Magic have had an up and down NBA season so far but on Thursday they put it behind them for a terrific performance against Eastern Conference giants the Chicago Bulls. Dwight Howard turned in a powerful display to inspire his team to the 99 – 94
win at the United Center, which will definitely boost the morale in Orlando.
Howard was sensational throughout the night, gathering game high 29 points and game high 18 rebounds in a massive double-double effort. Jason Richardson also found some form, scoring 18 points while Hidayet Turkoglu had 13.
Carlos Boozer led Chicago’s charge with team high 26 points and he had 7 rebounds. Super star Derrick Rose scored 17 and had 9 assists to his name while Taj Gibson came off the bench for 14 points.
Although the game was at the United Center, it was the Magic who streaked off at the start, going up 10 – 2. The Bulls soon clawed it down to 9 – 13, but the Magic would not be denied. An 11 – 0 burst took their lead to double digits late in the period and
they finished the first quarter ahead at 37 – 22.
Chicago came back strong in the second segment. A 6 – 0 run made cut the gap to 42 – 30, and the Bulls kept on pushing throughout. Their breakthrough came right at the end, Chicago making a 10 – 0 sprint to finish the first half just behind at 57 – 52.
The game got more interesting after the break as both sides showed a lot of intensity. The Bulls were able to wipe away Orlando’s lead but that didn’t deter the Magic. The scores remained close before Orlando finished the 3rd quarter with two
3-pointers, taking a 79 – 71 advantage.
Chicago were playing for pride in front of the home crowd and made a furious charge right from the start of the final stanza. A 9 – 0 run brought them level with Orlando, 84 – 84, just before the halfway mark. The scores remained close until a Howard dunk
sparked a 7 – 0 burst for the Magic, putting them up 96 – 91 with less than a minute remaining.
The Bulls failed to make a recovery and Orlando marched out the winners.
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