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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| MAGIC | 19 | 19 | 27 | 25 | 90 |
| BOBCATS | 21 | 22 | 18 | 24 | 85 |
Recap:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 90-85 win Sunday night over the Charlotte Bobcats.
Mickael Pietrus scored 18 points, Rashard Lewis had 17 and Jameer Nelson had 15 for Orlando.
All-Star center Dwight Howard was shut down by Charlotte's defense, scoring just four points, and fouled out for the first time this season with 3:18 remaining.
Gerald Wallace scored 17 points, and Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison had 14 each for the Bobcats, who led 51-47 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
But Pietrus capped a 7-point run with a 3-pointer to put Orlando up 54-51 with 5:45 left, and the Magic went on to win their third consecutive road game.
Charlotte made it 70-69 with 9:31 left to play on Morrison's jumper and two free throws. But Pietrus' layup 25 seconds later kicked off a 7-1 run that pushed Orlando's lead back to 77-70, and the Bobcats couldn't get closer than five points the rest of the way.
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Preview:
After a dramatic last-second win Friday night in Dallas, Orlando will look to sweep their three-game road trip at 5:30 p.m. Sunday against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Larry Brown, in his first season with Charlotte, has led the Bobcats to a 3-5 record in their first eight games. The Bobcats certainly have a talented roster, but they simply haven’t performed to expectations through the first two weeks of the season. Jason Richardson, the team’s leading scorer, is averaging only 17.6 ppg. and is currently out with a knee injury. The team as a whole is putting up an average of only 89.4 points each night.
Charlotte is a well rounded roster and has 12 players that have participated in at least four of their eight games. The Bobcats have a different player leading in each of four different major statistical categories. Richardson is leading the team in scoring while Emeka Okafor is leading the team in rebounding (9.5 rpg.). Raymond Felton is leading the team in assists with 5.0 per game and Gerald Wallace is leading the team in steals with 2.38 per game. Under Brown, the Charlotte defense has also become more effective as they are holding teams to 93.4 ppg.
Orlando enters the Sunday match-up coming off of a dramatic victory in Dallas. They trailed for the majority of the game and were down by 15 points in the third quarter. Making a valiant comeback, the Magic took the lead with 2:31 remaining in the game and once again with 10.9 seconds remaining in the game. That win put Orlando three games over .500 and gives them a chance to sweep the road trip Sunday in Charlotte.
This is a divisional game which could play a large role in the standings at the end of the season. Charlotte plays great defense but the Magic are putting up 100.0 points a night. On the other hand, the Bobcats struggle offensively but Orlando is holding their opponents to only 94.2 points this season. Orlando should be hungry to finish out their road trip with a victory before heading home for a Tuesday night match-up with Toronto.
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Keys to the game:
Offensive production: The match-up is interesting because both teams play well on the defensive end of the floor. The problem, at least for the Bobcats, is that Orlando is also putting up 100.0 ppg. as a team compared to their 89.4 ppg. If the Magic can continue their impressive scoring, they should have the advantage in this game. They have much more offensive firepower and need to capitalize on it throughout the game.
Blocked shots: Led by the defensive intensity of Dwight Howard, the Magic are averaging 7.4 blocks per game compared to Charlotte's 4.5 average. Shot blocking could become a strong factor in this game as both teams have numerous players that love to finish around the basket.
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Game Notes:
Nov. 16 @ Charlotte: Orlando is 9-7 all-time vs. Charlotte (7-1 at home, 2-6 on the road), including 3-1 last season…The Bobcats recorded their first win in franchise history over the Magic on Nov. 6, 2004 (111-100)...Keith Bogans played in 113 career games for the Bobcats from 2004-06…J.J. Redick played collegiately at Duke University...
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. BOBCATS: 34 pts., Dwight Howard (@ Orlando, 11-23-07)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 36 pts., Gerald Wallace (@ Charlotte, 1-16-08)
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