Hawks hand Magic rare road loss 98-90

Dwight grabbed on of his game-high 16 rebounds here, but the Magic still lost.

I missed the game due to work, but I'll recap it the best I can. I guess I'm kinda glad I was working and couldn't see the game because it wouldn't make me too happy.

Well, Dwight needs to be more dominant. 11 points for a SUPERSTAR and franchise cornerstone against his hometown team, won't cut it. Dwight needs to get beat up or slapped or something because he has to bring the intensity and fire to every game. Going 3-5 (!!) from the field won't cut it Dwight!!! Thats horrible. 5-11 from the free throw line is not any better either. Yeah it's nice that he got 16 rebounds, 2 steals, and two blocks, but all that stuff doesn't matter when you lose! This franchise can't beat the bottom teams.. gosh it makes me so mad. How can we expect to win a playoff series, if we keep having games like this?? Other teams go on big winning streaks but we just can't.

Back to the game...Anyways, our team high in assists (4!) was Bogans and Dooling, both off the bench I might add. We shot 56% from the line... horrible. We have alot of work to do. When the shots don't fall, we seem screwed. Dwight's offense is horrible when we can't space the floor and hit shots. He needs to find a way to get more involved and carry this team every night like the rest of the superstars. D12 can rely on Rashard and Hedo to win the game all the time, because as you can see, that doesn't always happen.

Of course Joe Johnson killed us for 34 points, 7 assists and Josh Smith had 19 points and 9 rebounds. I must say, they look to be just a good bench, and maybe a better small forward, away

from really being a great team.

Here is the Recap and here is the Boxscore.

Tonight's Game: Magic @ Hawks

Magic (46-25) vs. Hawks (29-39)

Philips Arena

FSN FL

7 PM

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Horford

Lewis PF Smith

Turkoglu SF Williams

Evans SG Johnson

Nelson PG Bibby

Yea! Tonight we get to play another team that gives us fits.

Horford had 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists on Wednesday against New Jersey.

Atlanta really needs tonight's game as New Jersey is biting on thier heels for the 8th and final playoff spot. The Nets are only 1/2 a game back from the Hawks, for that spot.

Our starters should be well rested since Dwight only played 23 minutes and the rest of the starters all played less than 30 minutes, except Rashard who played 33.

The Magic (46-25) opened the season with a franchise-record seven consecutive road wins, and currently have the league’s second-best road record at 23-12. Orlando, which has won six of its last eight away from Amway Arena, needs one more road victory to set a new club mark. The 1995-96 team went 23-18 away from Orlando - the only time it’s ever finished with a winning road record.

This will be Orlando’s first trip this season to Philips Arena, where it hasn’t won since Nov. 26, 2004. After this game, the Magic have five road games remaining, including another trip to Atlanta on April 15.

This year's team is leading the NBA with 672 3-pointers made which shattered the franchise record of 622 set by the 1995-96 team. They also have attempted 1,753 shots from the arc, besting the previous the club best of 1,662 by the 1996-97 team. The Magic still have 11 games remaining this season.

Dwight Howard had 62 double-doubles last season and currently has the same number right now, still with 11 games left.

Magic Blow Out Sixers 113-95

Orlando Magic Dancer Shana performs during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Amway Arena on March 21, 2008 in Orlando, Florida.


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—The Orlando Magic felt like they had something to prove after a one-point home loss earlier this week.

They responded with one of their best outings of the season Friday night.

Rashard Lewis scored 18 points and Orlando led by as many as 34 in a 113-95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Eight Magic players scored in double figures, and Dwight Howard had 13 points and 12 rebounds in just 23 minutes.

“We definitely wanted to send a message, especially redeem ourselves after last time in Philadelphia,” said Jameer Nelson, who had 12 points and seven assists.

It wasn’t just the Feb. 27 Philly loss, though. It was also an 87-86 disappointment Wednesday against the division rival Washington Wizards.

“I thought they would be a little bit stronger and a little bit tougher because they knew they had a game they probably should have won the other night,” Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "They thought they let one get away and they probably came out with a little bit more muscle tonight.”

Louis Williams scored 18 for Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala added 14 points and reserve Rodney Carney had 11 points. The 76ers, who at 34-35 are still trying to clinch an Eastern Conference playoff spot, had won four in a row and 10 of 12.

Orlando was a blistering 14-of-23 from 3-point range for the game, compared with 4-for-13 for Philadelphia. “It’s obviously a huge part of the way we play, and a big weapon,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It opens things up.”

“I think every team in the league is trying to figure out how to play them,” Philadelphia guard Andre Miller said of the inside-out combination with Howard. “It’s kind of tough because you have to give them their respect, and their wing players can all shoot the ball.”

Hedo Turkoglu had 16 points and nine assists and Keyon Dooling scored 13 for the Magic. Jameer Nelson had 12 points and seven assists and Maurice Evans scored 12, Keith Bogans added 11 points and Brian Cook scored 10.

• Boxscore

Tonight's Game: Sixers @ Magic

Magic (45-25) vs Sixers (34-34)

Amway Arena

7 PM

Sun Sports

Probable Starters:

Howard C Dalembert

Lewis PF Evans

Turkoglu SF Iguodala

Evans SG Green

Nelson PG Miller

Another possible playoff matchup against another scary team for us. Every team with a good point guard is scary, especially a big PG. Miller tore us up in the last meeting between these two teams.

Philly is finally going to get above .500, if they win this game. The Magic need this win after losing to the Sixers last month, in a terrible game we should have won. In that game, Miller and Green, the Sixers’ starting backcourt, outscored Orlando starting guards, Jameer Nelson and Maurice Evans, 52-2. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy called the Sixers “the best running team in the league.”

“Twenty-plus fast-break points is the way we’re trying to play,” Cheeks said.

They used all that running to their advantage and it helped keep Dwight mostly out of the game. Orlando All-Star Dwight Howard, who managed 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting and 16 rebounds. He also went just 2-for-7 from the free-throw line.

“I was just frustrated. I couldn’t hit a lot of shots. I missed a lot of free throws,” Howard said. “It was just myself. They played great defense, but I was really frustrated on the offensive end.”

And we need this win even more to prove to ourselves, and to the Wizards, that we are better than that terrible showing on Wednesday. Time to show the league what we can do. We have to win this game tonight.

Plus, losing this game would put us in a bad spot at attaining SVG's goal of 55 games. Third Quarter Collapse has the table of the upcoming games and projects the rest of the season here.

What Goes Up Must Come Down..Hard

Time for some humor. I found this video on Youtube.com of Marcin Gortat "attempting" a dunk over some mascots. Enjoy. :D

Wizards 87, Magic 86; Turk Sets Career High in Loss

Life beckons... sorry for no post game this time.

Better yet, check out the recap at Third Quarter Collapse and the game thread at MagicMadness.

But here is the Boxscore and Recap.

No Arenas Tonight

Gilbert Arenas Out for Tonight's Game

The Washington Times - Gilbert Arenas confirmed on Tuesday evening that he
will not return for the Wizards on Wednesday night against the Magic, according
to The Washington Times. "I'll just have to wait to see how it is in Orlando,"
said Arenas. He said that he will probably wait another week before returning to
the floor, and hinted that he wouldn't be so worried if Washington wasn't in the
playoff hunt. "If we weren't in the playoffs, it wouldn't even be a discussion.
But we have a chance of being pretty good in the playoffs, so it's tough,"
Arenas added.

Link