Magic handle Cavaliers

Orlando overcomes James's 30 points

March 18, 2008|Associated Press

Dwight Howard had 23 points and 13 rebounds, Rashard Lewis scored 21, and the Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-90, last night in Orlando, Fla.

LeBron James had 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists for Cleveland. Delonte West had 16 points and Sasha Pavlovic added 14.

Orlando was 1 for 9 from the field to open the game, and didn't get too much better through three quarters. The Magic finished 34 of 86 (39.5 percent), compared with 35-of-80 shooting (43.8 percent) for Cleveland. Orlando even got beat on fast break points (22-3) and points in the paint (46-34).

But the Magic made their mark from long range, including five 3-pointers in a four-minute stretch of the third quarter. Orlando was 14 for 32 on treys in its fifth straight win.

Cleveland led, 45-40, at halftime, and by as many as 10 in the third quarter before Orlando made a run. Maurice Evans, Hedo Turkoglu, and Lewis each hit consecutive 3-pointers and Jameer Nelson capped it with a 3-point play to give the Magic a 73-72 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Hornets 108, Bulls 97 - Chris Paul scored a game-high 37 points to give host New Orleans a come-from-behind win.

Paul made an open 3-pointer with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter to tie it at 96. After a steal by Jannero Pargo on the next possession, Paul found Tyson Chandler for a thundering alley-oop dunk to give the Hornets their first lead since halftime.

Timberwolves 99, Clippers 90 - Al Jefferson had his 48th double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds and Ryan Gomes scored 19 points in host Minnesota's win.

The Timberwolves went on a 13-4 run early in the fourth quarter to take an 81-70 lead. Craig Smith had 3 quick points to open the period, Rashad McCants hit a 3-pointer and a long jumper, and Kirk Snyder made two long-range jumpers.

Jazz 96, Raptors 79 - Deron Williams scored 21 points and his backup, Ronnie Price, had 13 points and five assists as Utah tied a franchise record with its 19th straight home win.

Hawks 105, Wizards 96 - Mike Bibby scored 23 points and Joe Johnson added 18 points and 10 assists to lead visiting Atlanta. It was the Hawks' third straight win, moving them a half-game ahead of idle New Jersey for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Pacers 110, Knicks 98 - Mike Dunleavy tied his career high with 36 points for host Indiana. Danny Granger had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Troy Murphy added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Grizzlies 98, Bobcats 80 - Mike Miller had 18 points and 13 rebounds to help host Memphis snap a four-game losing streak.

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