Orlando
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Despite career-highs from Jameer Nelson with 13 assists and DeShawn Stevenson with 23 points, and a solid-as-usual 28 points from All-Star Grant Hill, the Magic fell to the Bobcats 108-94, making their series with the Bobcats 1-3, and dropping them to 2.5 games behind Philadelphia for the final playoff spot, and just half a game in front of the surging Nets.
Kelvin Cato was somewhat invisible as he went scoreless in 30 minutes and only had four rebounds, one steal, and two blocks to show for his effort, along with four fouls. On the other hand, he's in there to provide the blocks, and that's what he did. He didn't need to worry about rebounding. Dwight Howard took care of that by flying in for 15 boards to go with his 14 points. In the battle for rookie of the year, he and Emeka Okafor played themselves into a draw, with Okafor getting just 10 rebounds but 23 points.
The Magic are hurting, of course. Hedo Turkoglu and Doug Christie are out for the season. Former head coach Johnny Davis is out for good. Steve Francis was out for three games for kicking a photographer. And now they have to face one of the best teams in the league as they try to claw their way back into the eighth spot. It's a tough battle.
NEXT GAME
Steve-O is back just in time to help the Magic (32-36, third in the Southeast) take on the Phoenix Suns (51-16, first in the Pacific) tomorrow night, Saturday, March 26th. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Sun Sports and NBA League Pass. Tickets are still available at the TD Waterhouse Center.
TEAM NOTES
Check out Orlando's postgame quotes.
INJURY UPDATE
Hedo Turkoglu(wrist) is on the injured list and out for the remainder of the season.Doug Christie(ankle) is out indefinitely.Andrew DeClercq (knee) is on the injured list.Steve Francis(suspension) is back in action as of their next game.
The Associated Press writes inABC News: There are slides, and then there are really, really bad slides.Losing two straight games to an expansion team qualifies the Orlando Magic for the latter. Gerald Wallace scored 22 points and rookie Emeka Okafor registered his 36th double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Charlotte Bobcats to a 108-94 win over Orlando on Thursday night. It was the Magic's ninth loss in 10 games.
Roscoe Nance ofUSA Todaywrites: Chris Jent got his dream job under nightmarish circumstances when he was named interim coach of the Orlando Magic last week.The Magic (32-36) are 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia and a half game ahead of New Jersey in the race for the eighth and final playoff berth in the East with 14 games remaining in the regular season. If Jent takes the Magic to the postseason, it would boost his chances of being hired permanently next season and Orlando would become the third team in 26 years and the seventh overall to reach the playoffs a season after having the worst record in the league. Orlando was a league-worst 21-61 last year... Jent also plans a lineup change. Steve Francis will move back to point guard from shooting guard Saturday after serving a league-imposed three-game suspension, and rookie Jameer Nelson will come off the bench. DeShawn Stevenson, who started at shooting guard during Francis' suspension, will continue in that role. Jent says he's making the move to get more scoring off the bench after losing sixth man Hedo Turkoglu for the season with a broken left wrist.
Brian Schmitz ofThe Orlando Sentinelwrites: A week ago, Steve Francis kicked out his leg in Seattle. And the Orlando Magic have felt the pain ever since.The slumping Magic, without the services of Francis, fell to the Charlotte Bobcats 108-94 Thursday night at TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando's second loss in four nights to the expansion team. It was the Magic's third loss in the four-game season-series to the Bobcats, their 16th defeat to teams with losing records.
Mike Bianchi ofThe Orlando Sentinelwrites: The Magic have become so bad that courtside photographers will soon start kicking the players when they fall into press row.Playoff team? Puh-leeze. The Magic are much closer to an expansion team. Actually, they are now officially an expansion team's tackling dummy. The Magic are 1-3 against the Bobcats, who came into Thursday night with an 0-19 road record in the Eastern Conference.