Orlando
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Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Magic beat the Hornets 92-91last night on the back of yet another impressive double-double by rookie Dwight Howard and seemingly unstoppable scoring by the backcourt tandem of Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis, who combined for 44 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals on 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) shooting from the field and 9-of-12 (75 percent) from the free throw line. Howard chipped in 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds, of which half were on the offensive boards. Howard's five offensive rebounds led all players.
Tony Battie had a solid game of 8 points on 3-of-7 shooting and 10 rebounds but it was his last shot, a jumper with 21 seconds to go, that put the Magic ahead for good. He also rebounded a Lee Nailon miss with five seconds to go to ensure the Magic victory. He was the closest to a double-double on the team other than Howard. Francis was the closest to reaching a triple-double, with 19 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Grant Hill played a solid 30 minutes but didn't light up the stat sheet, collecting just 6 points, 8 defensive rebounds, and 5 assists. It is nice to see the rebounding effort coming from so many different players. The Magic outrebounded the Hornets 49-42.
The Magic only significantly outscored the Hornets in one quarter -- the third -- but it was a 33-24 quarter. For each of the first two quarters, the Hornets got in the mid-20s while holding the Magic to 19. In the fourth, the Magic outscored the Hornets by three.
NEXT GAME
The Orlando Rockets take on the Houston Magic as the two teams who swapped large parts of their rosters over the offseason square off against each other in new uniforms tomorrow night.It is Tracy McGrady's first time back in Orlando playing for the opposition.The festivities and reunions tipoff Saturday at 8:00pm but unfortunately the emotional moment will not be broadcast on TV. We'll just have to channel our karma there or go get tickets right now.
TEAM NOTES
Keith Bogans scored 9 points in 12 minutes of action shooting 3-4 from the field and the free throw line. He also had a rebound, a steal, and an assist.
INJURY UPDATE
Grant Hill(coming back from ankle surgery) seems fine. All fingers are crossed. He played 30 minutes last night.Pat Garrity(hip flexor injury) played eight minutes last night.
James Jones ofThe Sun Heraldwrites: Orlando coach Johnny Davis remains optimistic about the Magic's chance of gelling as a team and competing for the Eastern Conference title."Chemistry comes from experience and playing with one another," Davis said. "That's a process you can't hurry. It takes time for us to tie everything together."
The Biloxi Sun Heraldwrites: Grant Hill and the Orlando Magic arrived on the Coast sometime Wednesday evening, checking in at the Beau Rivage and checking out the local flavor before undergoing one more tedious exercise on their way to a grueling NBA season.It's called an exhibition game. They play seven or eight of these things before the Real McCoy begins Nov. 3, but getting out on the floor of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum may have actually meant something for Hill.