Magic-Trail Blazers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jan 11 2012 2:39AM

The Portland Trail Blazers' home dominance has carried into 2011-12 in impressive fashion.

The Orlando Magic will likely need Dwight Howard on the court if they're going to stop it.

The Trail Blazers look to keep their perfect home record intact Wednesday night when they face Howard and the Magic.

Portland (7-2) has won all six of its home games this season and 16 of 17 at the Rose Garden dating to 2010-11. The Blazers have held opponents to an average of 92.5 points at home this season.

All five starters scored in double figures and Portland hit 51.4 percent of its shots in a 105-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

Gerald Wallace is having a major impact on the home success, averaging 21.0 points on 65.3 percent shooting in six games after leading the team with 20 points Tuesday. He has totaled just 14 points in three road games while making 4 of 25 from the field.

The home fans showed their appreciation for Wallace, chanting his name during Tuesday's victory.

"They keep me amped," he said.

The venue hasn't mattered to LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 18 points Tuesday and leads the Blazers with 22.1 per game while adding 7.7 rebounds.

Aldridge made 10 of 18 shots for 24 points in an 89-85 win at Orlando (6-3) on March 7, giving Portland a three-game winning streak in the series.

Those other two victories have come at the Rose Garden.

The Magic are looking to end the Trail Blazers' home winning streak, and keeping Howard on the court for most of the game would likely play a major role in that.

Howard is averaging 18.6 points while ranking second in the NBA with 14.6 boards. He had 39 points and 15 rebounds in Orlando's last visit to Portland, a 97-83 loss on Dec. 9, 2010.

The Magic proved they can win without a strong contribution from their star, opening this four-game road trip with a 104-97 win over Sacramento on Sunday. Howard's role was reduced early due to foul trouble, and he was held to season lows of five points and four rebounds in 19 1/2 minutes.

Swingman Jason Richardson and reserve forward-center Glen Davis picked up the slack for Howard, as they both set season highs with 22 and 20 points, respectively.

"These types of games are a tell-all for a team when you have your best player in foul trouble," said forward Ryan Anderson, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds Sunday. "We had a lot of guys back (Howard) up. Glen did an amazing job off the bench."

Orlando struggled without Howard in the latest meeting with Portland. Richardson had a game-high 22 points while Howard served a one-game suspension for an accumulation of technical fouls.

Magic survive late rally to beat Blazers 107-104

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Posted Jan 12 2012 2:00AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Portland's pick and roll nearly undid the Magic.

Orlando led by 23 points against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, but allowed Portland to close to within three points in the final minutes.

The reason? Portland figured out how to work the pick and roll around Dwight Howard.

"Yeah, we saw something," Blazers guard Jamal Crawford said. "We saw that it was keeping Howard away from the basket."

Ultimately, it was too late for the Blazers, and the Magic survived the rally to win 107-104. Howard had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

"It got tough for us late in the game," Howard shrugged.

The Blazers closed in on the Magic when Nicolas Batum's layup and LaMarcus Aldridge's wide-open jumper made it 96-93 with 2:38 left. Hedo Turkoglu answered for Orlando with a layup and a 3-pointer that appeared to seal the victory.

But Portland narrowed it again when Crawford and Wesley Matthews hit consecutive layups to make it 102-99 with 32.1 seconds to go. After Jason Richardson made a free throw, Crawford's finger-roll layup kept it close, but J.J. Reddick made four foul shots down the stretch.

Aldridge made a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left as the rally fell short.

"We played pretty well for 38 minutes, and then we were just awful against the presses and the traps, and the high pick and roll at the end," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said.

The Magic (7-3) made 16 of 27 3-point attempts, a season high. By the end of the third quarter, all of Orlando's starters were in double figures.

Redick finished with 17 points off the bench for Orlando. Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson each had 16.

Crawford had 24 points off the bench for the Blazers (7-3), who had won all six of their previous games at home this season, including a 105-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

But the victory may have cost them energy-wise against the Magic. The Blazers allowed Orlando to open the game with an easy 8-0 run, which included three straight layups and a dunk by Richardson.

The Magic pushed the lead to 26-15 late in the first quarter after Chris Duhon's 3-pointer. Orlando, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league, made 6 of 8 in the first quarter alone as they built a 36-22 lead.

"They got off to a fast start, and at that point you have to play almost perfect to win the game," Crawford said.

Orlando went on to lead by 20 points before the break, but Portland closed to 57-47 on Gerald Wallace's layup with a minute left and the Blazers trailed 62-50 at the break.

The Magic made 11 of 18 3-point attempts in the half, and shot 63 percent overall from the field.

Howard's slam dunk midway through the third quarter gave the Magic their biggest margin of the game at 81-58.

"When we are focused we are a good team," Nelson said. "We were focused tonight for 38 minutes."

The Blazers closed to 90-80 on Wallace's 3-pointer with 8:01 left in the game. Portland inched closer when Matthews made a 3-pointer and Wallace hit a pair of free throws to close to 96-89 with 3:56 to go.

Orlando was well-rested, having not played since a 104-97 victory at Sacramento on Sunday.

Aldridge finished with 23 for Portland.

NOTES: Magic forward Quentin Richardson, out with a sprained left ankle, could return on Monday when the Magic visits the Knicks. Richardson, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds a game, has missed three games. ... Former Blazers guard and fan favorite Patty Mills was at the game. ... Crawford extended his NBA record with his 34th 4-point play in the first half. ... Orlando just missed besting the Trail Blazers' record for most 3-pointers made in a half by an opponent. Milwaukee made 12 against Portland in January 2001. ... The magic made nine of 19 free throws, for a season-low 47.4 percent.

Notebook: Magic 107, Trail Blazers 104

By Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday January 12, 2012 2:23AM

THE FACTS: J.J. Redick sank four straight free throws in the final 16.5 seconds to cement the Magic's 107-104 victory over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night at the Rose Garden. Portland had cut a 23-point third-quarter deficit to two points in the closing seconds. Redick came off the bench to lead seven scorers in double figures for Orlando (7-3) with 17 points while Dwight Howard had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Reserve Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 24 points off the bench to lead Portland (7-3).

QUOTABLE: "Our ball movement was the best it has been this year. Our energy was outstanding. I was really happy with what we did in the first half."
-- Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy, on the Magic building a 62-50 halftime lead

THE STAT: Orlando was 16-for-27 from 3-point range -- 11 for 18 in the first half. The Magic made seven of their first nine attempts from beyond the arc.

TURNING POINT: Orlando's 23-point third-quarter lead had shrunk to three at 96-93 inside three minutes to go when Hedo Turkoglu scored on back-to-back possessions -- a driving layup and a 3-pointer -- to push the Magic ahead 101-93. "We were dying, and we went to him twice and ended up with five points," Van Gundy said. "Huge. Those were the game-winners right there."

QUOTABLE II: "They started out on fire. They pretty much got what they wanted. (Dwight) Howard was deep in the post. The plan was to get him off the block, play him straight up and stick with their 3-point shooters. We lost those guys and they knocked down every mistake we made."
-- Portland coach Nate McMillan

HOT: Orlando shot 58.6 percent from the field and 59.3 percent from 3-point range. The Magic made 17 of their first 23 shots from the field.

NOT: Howard was 3-for-12 at the foul line and Orlando was 9-for-19 at the stripe.

QUOTABLE III: "When we show heart like that, there are good things in the team's future. We didn't throw in the towel. We continued to fight."
-- Crawford

GOOD MOVE: Orlando led 102-99 and inbounded the ball with 32.1 seconds left. Portland trapped Jason Richardson and Nicolas Batum fouled him with 28.8 seconds left. Richardson made one of two foul shots and the Blazers didn't score again until LaMarcus Aldridge drilled a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left for the game's final points. Critics say the Blazers shouldn't have fouled in a one-possession game, but the Magic could have played the game clock down to eight seconds. Even if they'd not scored, Portland would have needed a three just to tie.

BAD MOVE: The Blazers did a poor job rotating out to 3-point shooters. It was the biggest factor in the outcome.

NOTABLE: It was the first home loss for the Blazers, who won their first six games at the Rose Garden and now venture on the road for a six-game trip.

UP NEXT: For the Blazers, Friday @ San Antonio, Saturday @ Houston, Monday @ New Orleans. For the Magic, Thursday @ Golden State, Monday @ New York, Tuesday vs. Charlotte

• Magic: Liggins, Richardson
• Trail Blazers: Johnson, Oden

• Magic: --
• Trail Blazers: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #77 Karl Lane, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 20467
• Duration: 2:12