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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||
| MAGIC | 26 | 16 | 24 | 29 | 95 | |
| CLIPPERS | 19 | 29 | 27 | 13 | 88 |
Recap:
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dwight Howard led Orlando with 23 points and 22 rebounds, and the Magic beat the Los Angeles Clippers 95-88 on Monday night.
Howard hit 20-20 for the second game in a row and it was his 17th double-double of the season. He also had six blocks and four assists on his 23rd birthday. Howard had 21 points and 23 boards in a 98-89 over Oklahoma City on Friday.
Dwight Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds against the Clippers on Monday, his second consecutive 20-20 game and third this season.
Orlando took a big lead early against the Clippers, fell behind, then came back in the fourth quarter.
Baron Davis, who finished with 27 points for Los Angeles, hit a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Clippers a 75-66 lead, their biggest margin of the game.
Orlando moved back in front at 76-75 on Brian Cook's 3-pointer with 9:41 left to play during a 22-2 run that began at the start of the final quarter. Los Angeles missed nine of its first 10 shots in the period to fall behind.
Rashard Lewis added 18 points for Orlando and Jameer Nelson had 15.
Zach Randolph had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles, and Marcus Camby had 17 rebounds in the loss.
The win over the Clippers (4-17) improved Orlando's record to 16-5, but the Southwest Division-leading Magic have faced only seven teams with records above .500 and are 4-3 in those contests.
The Magic didn't miss much in the opening quarter, then didn't make much in the second as they and the Clippers reversed roles.
Orlando got out quickly, went 11-of-22 in the first 12 minutes and led 24-9 with 2:14 left in the period. Los Angeles finally starting hitting late in the quarter to finish 8-of-26 and trailed 26-19 heading into the second.
Then, sparked in the second quarter by Randolph's 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, the Clippers made 13 of 26 shots, while the misfiring Magic went 4-of-17. Randolph's 9-foot jumper 2:56 before halftime gave Los Angeles its first lead, at 42-41 with 2:56 remaining, and the Clippers went on to lead 48-42 at the break.
Davis had 11 first-half points for Los Angeles, matched by Howard's 11 for Orlando.
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Preview:
The Magic welcomed back Jameer Nelson and Keith Bogans with a win Friday night and in the process upped their overall record to 15-5. That record is fourth-best in the NBA and gives the Magic a 2.5 game lead in the Southeast Division over the second-place Atlanta Hawks. This week, Orlando will have their toughest stretch of the early season when they hit the road for a five-game West Coast road trip that kicks off at 10:30 p.m. Monday night when the Magic tip-off in the STAPLES Center against the Los Angeles Clippers.
After a whirlwind offseason, the Clippers have been disappointing through their first 20 games, winning only four of those contests. Two of their top players (Elton Brand and Corey Maggette) left in the offseason, forcing the Clippers to bring in Baron Davis and Marcus Camby as their replacements. In addition, Los Angeles made a splash on the trade market when they acquired Zach Randolph from the New York Knicks on November 21 in exchange for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley. That trio is averaging 49.4 points per game, 23.0 rebounds per game and 12.4 assists per game for the Clippers.
With the overhaul of their roster, Los Angeles has struggled to play well as a team. They are being outperformed in every major statistical category except for blocked shots, where they average 6.9 per game compared to their opponents’ 4.8. On average, their opponents are outscoring them by almost seven points a night while shooting over 45 percent from the field. Those numbers aren’t going to win many games and their record is indicative of that.
The Clippers will enter the game without one of their top big men, Chris Kaman, who has been out with an injured foot. The match-up pits one of the top offensive centers in the game, Dwight Howard, against possibly the best defensive center of the last five years, Marcus Camby. Camby has averaged more than 3.0 blocked shots in each of the past five seasons and won the 2006-07 Defensive Player of the Year award, an accolade Howard is chasing down this season with his 4.10 blocked shots per game average.
With Orlando looking to cement themselves in the elite group of the NBA during this road trip, a Monday night win would start them off on the right track. Meanwhile, the Clippers will be looking to get themselves on track for the first time this season.
Fans in the Central Florida area can catch the game live on the following alternative satelite channels: DIRECTV 655 and DISH 447.
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Keys to the game:
Fatigue: This will be the first West Coast game the Magic play this season and it will feel, at least to their bodies, like they are playing at 10:30 p.m. NBA veterans are used to opposite-coast trips and can certainly handle them well, but the first one is never easy. Orlando will need to be well rested and come out of the gates early to give themselves a cushion to play with down the stretch if their legs get a bit tired.
Blocked Shots: The Magic and Clippers rank first and second in the league, respectively, in blocked shots per game. Dwight Howard (4.10 bpg.) and Marcus Camby (3.0 bpg) are both dominant forces in the paint and can change a game simply by their presence. Each player can block shots with their length, but they alter so many more. This could play a large role in the game since point guards Jameer Nelson and Baron Davis tend to penetrate the defense early and often.
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Game Notes:
Dec. 8 @ L.A. Clippers: Orlando is 21-17 all-time vs. the L.A. Clippers (13-6 at home, 8-11 on the road) during the regular season, including 2-0 last season…Orlando has won the last three meetings, but lost six of the last 10 overall…The Magic have won seven of the last 10 meetings at home, but dropped four of the last five on the road…Assistant GM Dave Twardzik served as an assistant coach with the Clippers during his career.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. CLIPPERS: 47 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Los Angeles, 12-10-01)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 35 pts., Elton Brand (@ Orlando, 2-1-06)
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