With this win we are now 18 games over .500 and the Magic have a record of 42-24. That is already 2 games better than last season; yet we still have 16 games left. We have now won 10 of our last 13 games.
Dwight had 22 points, 13 boards, 3 blocks, and 7 turnovers. Last night's double-double gave him 57 on the year; 11 more than the 2nd place competitor: Al Jefferson. He has 11 double-doubles in a row and is nearing the record held by Shaq for most in a row (18).
Evans has made 30 consecutive starts and has been one of the most consistent starters on the team. Against the Clippers he put up 13 points, 4 rebounds, and hit 2 big 3 pointers.
This game did not start like it ended - instead, our first three possessions were all turnovers. We started trailing 7-1, yet at the end of the 1st quarter we led by 13 - Magic 32, Clippers 19. At the end of the first Dwight just about had a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds. He had NO rebounds in the 2nd quarter and finished the first half with 16 points and 9 rebounds. At the end of the first half the Magic were up 15 - Magic 63, Clippers 48.
Arroyo ran the offense well in this game. You probably haven't heard that comment from me often, huh?
In the last 4 games, Dwight has significantly improved his free throw shooting. He has gone 30-40 (75%), in those games; but his free throw percentage for the season is still 59.9%.
We are now 24-0 when the opponent doesn't score 95 points or more, so thats an incentive to the team to always play tough defense.
From the Yahoo game recap: "The Orlando Magic have a list of late-season goals written on the blackboard in their locker room. They were able to erase the one at the top Wednesday night.
Dwight Howard had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help the Magic beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-86, securing their first winning season since the 2002-03 season. 'We’ve got some guys in our locker room who have never had a winning season and I think you’ve got to appreciate some of the things you accomplish during a season,' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. 'The next goal is to wrap up a playoff spot and then win our division and secure home-court for the playoffs.'"
In other news... Garrity played his 500th game here against the Clippers scoring 2 points on 1-1 shooting.
Dwight got injured in the second half and did not return. His injury is reported as not very serious: a bone bruise. He is day-to-day and his status for Friday's matchup with the Heat, in Miami, is unknown. The Magic should hold him out if he is not 100%. Even if we some how lose, it is not worth him injuring himself worse.
No comments:
Post a Comment