Jameer Nelson

When asked if he had learned anything about himself as a general manager in a season that can only be described as trying and tumultuous, Orlando's Otis Smith smiled as if he had no words to describe his emotions over the past few months. Smith's organization was held hostage in free agency by its franchise center, who then changed his mind and decided to stay for at least one more season. Then the center began experiencing back problems that required surgery. In between, he was called out by his coach for asking management to fire the coach.

Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Orlando Magic 105-87 on Tuesday night and clinch their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-1. It was Indiana's first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs. The Pacers will play Miami or New York in the second round. Darren Collison scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Magic 36-16 in the final 12 minutes.

Members of the Orlando Magic were spotted at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. Players - including Jameer Nelson, Chris Duhon,Quentin Richardson, and Jason Richardson - were also at Who's on First before the game. . . . Bachelor Ben Flajnik and his lady, Courtney Robertson, were also at Fenway on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Flajnik is pals with Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross.

David West had 18 points and 11 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 93-78 on Monday night and even the Eastern Conference first-round series at one game apiece. Danny Granger and George Hill each added 18 points and Paul George had 17 points and eight rebounds for Indiana. Glen Davis led the Magic with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but he shot 5 for 16 from the field. J.J. Redick scored 13 points and Jameer Nelson added 12 for Orlando. The Pacers were heavy favorites in the series because Dwight Howard, Orlando's All-Star center, is out with a back injury.

Ryan Anderson made a career-best eight 3-pointers and finished with 28 points to help the Orlando Magic win their third straight game Monday night, beating the Toronto Raptors 117-101. Dwight Howard had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Jameer Nelson scored 18 points for the Magic. Orlando came in leading the NBA in 3-pointers and hit 15 of 34 from beyond the arc in this one, two shy of its season high. Orlando has made 17 3-pointers twice this season, first at New York on Jan. 16 and against Miami on Feb. 8.

LeBron James scored 19 points and the Miami Heat got their preseason off to an easy start, running away to beat the Orlando Magic 118-85 on Sunday night. Terrel Harris scored 16, while Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each had 14 for Miami. The Heat led 53-46 at halftime before turning it into a rout. Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick each scored 22 for Orlando, which lost for the first time in 22 preseason games dating to October 2008. The subject of trade talk throughout training camp, Dwight Howard finished with only five points on 2-for-9 shooting.

Dwight Howard scored 22 points and Jameer Nelson added 19 as the Orlando Magic won their seventh straight game, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive with a 92-80 win over the Spurs last night in San Antonio. Tim Duncan scored 31 points, but it wasn't enough for the Spurs, who are trying to hold off Dallas for the lead in the Southwest Division and best record in the Western Conference. The Magic are 2 1/2 games behind both Chicago and Philadelphia in the race for the final playoff spot in the East.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 points, Dwight Howard added 21, and the shorthanded Orlando Magic rallied to beat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, 115-111, last night. The Magic, missing Grant Hill with a bruised right wrist, trailed by 6 with 2:02 left to play after Allen Iverson's jumper. Iverson finished with 38 points. Samuel Dalembert tied his career high with 24 points, and added a season-best 16 rebounds. Jameer Nelson sparked the comeback with two steals, cashed in for three free throws, cutting the deficit to a point.

Gilbert Arenas had 14 points and nine assists off the bench, and the reconstructed Orlando Magic cruised past San Antonio, 123-101, last night to snap the Spurs’ 10-game win streak. Arenas added six rebounds backing up a sick Jameer Nelson, fellow newcomer Jason Richardson had 15 points, and the Magic won for the first time since they orchestrated two blockbuster trades. Dwight Howard also had 29 points and 14 rebounds in another dominant performance for Orlando, which shot 59 percent from the floor.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 18 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Magic took advantage of LeBron James's shooting struggles to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-88, last night in Orlando, Fla. James was 10 of 27 from the field for the Cavaliers. He finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. He spent much of the night complaining to the officials and missed 3 of 6 free throws. The Magic showed they are looking more and more like Eastern Conference contenders.

The Orlando Magic entered Indiana's building as huge underdogs and walked out talking trash. Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson scored 17 points apiece to help sixth-seeded Orlando, playing without Dwight Howard, surprise the third-seeded Pacers 81-77 in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday night. "Y'all look real stunned," Magic center Glen Davis, Howard's replacement, yelled at the crowd as he left the court. "Y'all look real stunned.

JaVale McGee scored 17 points, throwing down a half-dozen dunks in the second half, and the Denver Nuggets pulled away to beat the Orlando Magic 101-74 on Sunday night Danilo Gallinari also scored 17, Arron Afflalo had 15 and Ty Lawson 13 for the Nuggets, who swept the two-game season series with Orlando, avoiding the Magic's injured Dwight Howard both times. Ryan Anderson scored 24 points for the Magic, who lost their third straight. Glen Davis added 14 points for Orlando, which also lost guard Jameer Nelson to a calf injury.

When asked if he had learned anything about himself as a general manager in a season that can only be described as trying and tumultuous, Orlando's Otis Smith smiled as if he had no words to describe his emotions over the past few months. Smith's organization was held hostage in free agency by its franchise center, who then changed his mind and decided to stay for at least one more season. Then the center began experiencing back problems that required surgery. In between, he was called out by his coach for asking management to fire the coach.

Members of the Orlando Magic were spotted at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. Players - including Jameer Nelson, Chris Duhon,Quentin Richardson, and Jason Richardson - were also at Who's on First before the game. . . . Bachelor Ben Flajnik and his lady, Courtney Robertson, were also at Fenway on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Flajnik is pals with Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross.

Kevin Seraphin took advantage of Dwight Howard's absence from Orlando's lineup, getting career highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Washington Wizards to a 93-85 victory over the Magic on Tuesday night. Jordan Crawford scored 21 points, John Wall had 15 and Cartier Martin and James Singleton — both on 10-day contracts with the Wizards — added 12 points apiece. Seraphin also matched a career high with four blocks. Jameer Nelson scored 19 points and J.J. Redick added 15 for the Magic, who shot 36.6 percent from the field.

Ryan Anderson made a career-best eight 3-pointers and finished with 28 points to help the Orlando Magic win their third straight game Monday night, beating the Toronto Raptors 117-101. Dwight Howard had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Jameer Nelson scored 18 points for the Magic. Orlando came in leading the NBA in 3-pointers and hit 15 of 34 from beyond the arc in this one, two shy of its season high. Orlando has made 17 3-pointers twice this season, first at New York on Jan. 16 and against Miami on Feb. 8.

Dwight Howard had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lift the Magic to an easy 112-83 victory over the Washington Wizards in the debut of No. 1 pick John Wall last night in Orlando, giving the NBA’s newest arena a grand opening and setting the stage for a sizzling showdown with the Heat in Miami tonight. “Honestly, I’m sick of listening every hour about Miami — Miami that, how great they are, how big they are, what kind of record they gonna have,’’ said backup center Marcin Gortat, who had 8 points and 7 rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored 30 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder win their season opener with a 97-89 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. Durant led the league in scoring the past two seasons, including averaging 27.7 last season. On Sunday, he was 11-of-19 from the field and added five rebounds and six assists. James Harden added 19 points and the Thunder held Orlando star Dwight Howard to just 11 points. The Thunder lost to Dallas last year in the Western Conference finals but are expected to one of the top teams this season.

The Orlando Magic couldn't count on their outsider shooters most of the night. Fortunately, they could rely on Dwight Howard. Howard had 36 points and 13 rebounds, Ryan Anderson added 19 points and 13 boards, and the Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 92-88 on Monday. Orlando made just nine of 28 3-point attempts, but got a pivotal 3 from J.J. Redick in the final 10 seconds. "Our perimeter guys all shot the ball very, very poorly tonight, so trying to decide who you're going to have down there as the last man wasn't an easy call," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.