02-06-2008, 11:59 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Player
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: OC CA
Posts: 675
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GT: New Jersey Nets @ ORLANDO MAGIC (2/6/08)
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New Jersey Nets (20-28) vs. Orlando Magic (31-19)
7:00 PM EST, Amway Arena
New Jersey Nets
    
Kidd/Carter/Jefferson/Williams/Boone
Orlando Magic
    
Arroyo/Evans/Turkoglu/Lewis/Howard
Sportsline Preview
Quote:
The Orlando Magic's homestand against five of last season's playoff teams got off to a rough start.
The Magic (31-19), though, get a bit of a reprieve from the tough stretch on Wednesday night when they host the New Jersey Nets, who aren't looking like much of a playoff contender this season.
Southeast Division-leading Orlando opened the homestand with a 107-98 loss to Dallas on Monday. Despite a triple-double from Hedo Turkoglu - 13 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds - and 28 points from Dwight Howard, Orlando trailed the entire game.
The Magic reduced a 19-point deficit to three with 7:15 left, but went scoreless for almost five minutes after that.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, whose team will also face the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland and Denver on the homestand, said these are the types of games Orlando has to win if it hopes to avenge last season's first-round playoff exit.
"There's a step of growth that we're going to have to make if we're serious about doing anything at the end of the season," Van Gundy said.
Monday's loss ended Orlando's four-game winning streak and was just its second in the last nine games. The Magic also were held below 100 points for just the fourth time in the last 15 games.
"We have to learn from this as a young group, coming to the last 25, 30 games before the playoffs," said Turkoglu. "Hopefully we'll try and be a stronger team."
Turkoglu and the Magic may be facing New Jersey (20-28) at a good time, as the struggling Nets try to end their recent slump.New Jersey comes in having lost 11 of 13 including a 105-90 defeat to the Lakers on Tuesday.
Vince Carter scored 27 points and Bostjan Nachbar added 19 and 10 rebounds while Jason Kidd had 11 points and 10 assists.
Nets coach Lawrence Frank said he thinks Carter, who missed five games earlier this season with a sprained right ankle and has seemed to lack his normal explosiveness recently, is feeling better.
"This is as well as he's felt in a long time," Frank said.
Carter, who averaged 14.6 points in his last three games, is second on the team with 20.7 trailing only Richard Jefferson (23.8). Carter, who didn't play in New Jersey's 95-70 home loss to the Magic on Nov. 16, scored a team-high 18 on Jan. 2 in a 96-95 win in Orlando.
On Monday, New Jersey traded forward-center Jason Collins and cash to Memphis for center Stromile Swift. The second overall pick in 2000 is not expected to play Wednesday, and is averaging 6.8 points 3.7 rebounds.
"We'll start him inactive until we can get his feet wet a little bit," Frank told the Nets' official Web site. "We'll go from there and I think it's going to be a good healthy competition."
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GO MAGIC!
Last edited by MickyEyez : 02-08-2008 at 10:16 AM.
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GT: New Jersey Nets @ ORLANDO MAGIC (2/6/08)
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