February 11, 2010
NBA- Magic Beat the Hornets after Great Performance from Vince Carter
By Ally White
With an explosion of skill in the third and fourth quarters, the Orlando Magic defeated their Western Conference Rivals, the New Orleans Hornets, 123-117 this last Monday night at Orlando. The Hornets were competitive in the first halves, taking narrow leads and holding the Magic in their shooting. Nevertheless, they fell short in the third and fourth, scoring 24 and 23 points per quarter but trailing nonetheless.
With the loss, the Hornets are now in 11th place of the Western Conference with a 27-25 record. The Magic, on the other hand, are in second place of the Eastern Conference with a 35-17 record.
Vince Carter, who since joining the Magic set his best mark so far this season, was key in Orlando’s overcoming a 17-point handicap in the second half. Carter scored a total of 48 points, making 19 of 27 shots from the field and adding 34 points in the second half alone. His shooting brought about a turning point in the game, taking the team to a ninth victory in the last 11 games.
Orlando started the first quarter strong, scoring the first points and having a 9-2 run in the first three minutes. But New Orleans reacted with a 10-0 run, gaining a two-point lead with 5:48 left. At the end, however, with the help of Predrag Stojakovic’s three-pointer, David West’s two free throws, and Darren Collison’s jump shot, the Hornets ended the quarter up in the scoring 32-28.
Orlando entered the second quarter stronger both offensively and defensively, gaining a 14-point lead with 3:39 left. Orlando tried to respond with a few baskets from Carter and Rashard Lewis, cutting the lead to six points 61-55 with 1:06 on the clock. But New Orleans caught up again with a 9-0 run in the final seconds, ending with a 15-point lead, 70-55.
After halftime, Orlando responded aggressively from the beginning, making a 20-7 run thanks again to Carter and Lewis, who cut the score to just two points, 77-75, with 5:41 left in the third. In the last minutes, both teams exchanged baskets but, by the end of the quarter, the Hornets were still up by seven points, 94-87.
Once in the last quarter, New Orleans kept control of the scoreboard in the first minutes, but the Magic resurged. The score was tied twice, this time with the help of Carter and Dwight Howard, and the Magic obtained a 1-point lead with 3:40 left to play. In the final minutes of the game, Carter’s 48 points added to more than New Orleans’ consistency in the first three quarters, and Orlando took the victory, 123-117.
Orlando’s Coach Stan Van Gundy praised Carter’s performance, but was also happy with the way his team responded during the last quarter.
“That's incredible, I mean that was unbelievable. We had a lot of guys do good things, but quite frankly, tonight they were all in the shadow by that,” Coach Van Gundy stated concerning Carter's performance.
"It's just a blessing (that) all the shots that I made worked within the offense; especially early. It’s been a while. I'd say last year I had some pretty good nights. For me, it's just more so us getting the win," Carter said.
The best scorers for the Orlando Magic were Vince Carter with 48 points and 7 rebounds; Dwight Howard with 25 points and 12 rebounds; and finally, Rashard Lewis with 18 points and 4 rebounds. For the New Orleans Hornets the best scorers were Predrag Stojakovic with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists; David West with 27 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists; Darren Collison with 27 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds; James Posey with 10 points and 6 rebounds; and ultimately, Darius Songaila with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
About the Author
Ally White is a top senior copy writer on NBA games and sports action for the online sports betting site: http://www.instantactionsports.com
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