Magic-Warriors Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Jan 12 2012 2:16AM

Although the Golden State Warriors are floundering near the bottom of the Western Conference, they're becoming quite adept at knocking off some of the East's top contenders.

The Warriors look to add the Orlando Magic to the list Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

Golden State (3-6) seemed to be headed to a sixth straight defeat Tuesday, trailing Miami by 17 points with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter. But the Heat suddenly went cold, missing 15 of 17 shots in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors went on to win 111-106 in overtime.

"I thought there was a point (Tuesday), just like in life, where you can fold the tent or you can begin to believe and fight back," said first-year coach Mark Jackson, whose only other two victories have come over Chicago and New York. "And we did that. And once you begin to do that, good things happen. Great for my guys, because the bottom line is; you need results, in order to trust the system."

Nate Robinson seems to be finding a niche in Jackson's offense. He scored 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime and made all 14 of his free throws. In three games since signing with the Warriors last week, Robinson is averaging 14.7 points and providing a spark off the bench.

Robinson wasn't the only Golden State player, however, to put together a surprising performance against the defending conference champions.

Dorell Wright had a season-high 20 points and made 6 of 11 3-pointers while grabbing a season-best 10 rebounds. He averaged 5.8 points on 32.7 percent shooting and 4.5 boards in his first eight games.

"We have a secret weapon," said Monta Ellis, who is averaging a team-best 23.9 points.

Wright is unlikely to sneak up on the Magic, however.

In the last meeting between these teams on March 11 at Oracle Arena, the Warriors hit a franchise-record 21 3-pointers on 35 attempts and rallied from a 21-point deficit in a 123-120 overtime victory, snapping a five-game losing streak in the series. Ellis finished with 39 points and made 7 of 9 from long range, while Wright scored 32 and sank 8 of his 11 shots from beyond the arc.

The Magic (7-3) arrive in the Bay Area after defeating Portland 107-104 on Wednesday, handing the Trail Blazers their first loss in seven games at the Rose Garden. Orlando led by as much as 23 points before allowing Portland to close to within three in the final minutes.

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

Seven Magic players reached double figures, led by J.J. Redick's 17, while Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and Ryan Anderson had 16 apiece.

Jason Richardson scored 15 and is likely looking forward to taking the court against his former team. Richardson, who played for Golden State from 2001-07, is averaging 23.4 points in 12 career games against the Warriors - 3.1 points better than any other team.

Dwight Howard had a relatively quiet night Thursday, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds, but could be poised for a big game against the Warriors. The five-time All-Star averaged 17.5 points and 19.0 rebounds in the two games against Golden State last season, and the Warriors are a bit banged-up inside.

The status of Kwame Brown is uncertain after the 6-foot-11 center injured his right shoulder in the fourth quarter Wednesday. Seven-footer Andris Biedrins is expected to return after missing three games with a sprained left ankle, but he'll likely be a bit rusty and facing Howard probably won't help.

"It's nice," Biedrins said with a laugh when asked about returning just in time to face Howard. "It's what I wanted."

Howard breaks FT attempts mark, Magic top Warriors

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Posted Jan 13 2012 2:38AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) With Dwight Howard getting fouled in record-setting fashion, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy finally just sat back in his chair and stopped barking out orders.

He walked into the huddle during a timeout early in the first half Thursday night, and his assistants started bombarding him with the usual play-calling suggestions. Van Gundy could only laugh.

"I'm looking at them like, `We're not going to run a play. He's going to foul him,"' Van Gundy said. "What are we going to bother with diagraming a play? Make the free throw, play some defense."

That about summed up this historic night.

Howard broke Wilt Chamberlain's nearly 50-year-old NBA record for most free throw attempts in a game, making 21 of 39 in the Orlando Magic's 117-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors hacked Howard intentionally throughout, sending the notoriously poor shooter to the line early and often. Chamberlain, who Howard idolized growing up and used to have a photo clipping of the center in his Orlando locker, shot 34 for the Philadelphia Warriors against St. Louis on Feb. 22, 1962.

Howard finished with 45 points and 23 rebounds, and Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points to propel the Magic to their third straight victory. It also marked the first time a player had at least 40 points and 20 rebounds since Shaquille O'Neal - another poor free throw shooter - had 48 points and 20 rebounds against the Celtics on March 1, 2003, according to STATS LLC.

"I just tried to be aggressive and get to the line. I didn't care if I missed 30," Howard said. "I was still going to go up there and shoot the next one with confidence."

Monta Ellis had 30 points and 11 assists, and David Lee added 26 points and 12 rebounds for the short-handed Warriors, playing without injured starters Stephen Curry and Dorell Wright and backup center Kwame Brown.

All that combined to take the Hack-a-Howard routine to a whole new level.

Howard had never shot more than 24 free throws in a game - which he had four times previously - and fouled so early. Certainly, nothing compared to the Warriors' ways.

Howard eclipsed his old mark with 2:09 remaining in the third quarter, getting hacked and held intentionally at the end of each quarter with mixed results. If nothing else, Golden State rookie coach Mark Jackson's strategy slowed down the pace and refused to let the Magic's potent shooters find their rhythm.

Howard tied Chamberlain's record when Andris Biedrins fouled him - and fouled out - with 7:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, making 1 of 2 to give the Magic a 93-92 lead. Howard has shot just below 60 percent at the line for his career and entered the game at just 42 percent this season.

"It's amazing that he made 21," Magic guard J.J. Redick joked.

Golden State almost managed an upset behind the tactic.

Klay Thompson put the Warriors ahead 107-106 on a 3-pointer with a little less than 3 minutes remaining, only to see Howard respond on the other end quickly. Howard floated a hook shot and then made a free throw to put the Magic back in front by two.

After Ellis made a runner to even the score, Howard grabbed an offensive rebound on the next possession and finished strong at the rim while getting fouled by Lee - who also fouled out on the play. Howard made the free throw to complete a three-point conversion.

Von Wafer finally sealed Orlando's victory with a 3-point with 36.9 seconds to play that stretched the Magic's lead to six, blowing a kiss to the crowd afterward. Jackson could only shake his head.

"I can understand people thinking, `Why?' But don't get caught up in the free throws," Jackson said. "Think about when we didn't foul him. It was dunks, hooks, at the rim. He's a great player. And he's a bad free throw shooter. Giving ourselves the best chance possible, we tried to mess up their rhythm, take their 3-point shooters out of it, which we did. They made plays."

The undersized Warriors sent double-teams and traps at Howard and frustrated the All-Star center with fouls from the start.

Jeremy Tyler intentionally fouled Howard with 8.1 seconds remaining in the first quarter, a tactic some teams utilize late in games with the center's well-documented struggles at the stripe, but rarely seen so early. Howard made 1 of 2.

After scoring the first nine points of the game, Golden State relied on the cushion for most of the first half. Nate Robinson's running layup pushed the Warriors ahead 44-3, relying on a surprisingly strong defensive effort.

And fouls.

"A suggestion from one of my assistants was that we do it to Biedrins when he was in the game," Van Gundy said, breaking into his usual sarcastic remarks. "We weren't in the penalty. That could have been fun. We could've just walked up and down for a few minutes and see who makes the first free throw. But we could've just saved everybody and said, `Let's let them shoot it at the same basket."'

That might've only prolonged the game, which was 2 hours, 39 minutes.

Three more times in the second quarter, Jackson called for his players to intentional hack Howard as soon as he crossed half court. Howard was 5 of 6 from the line during that stretch.

Orlando closed the half with a flurry of free throws and layups, part of an 18-9 run that sliced Golden State's lead to only four at the break. Howard shot 9 for 18 from the line in the first half.

"We took a chance and said that we want Dwight to beat us," Lee said. "And he beat us."

NOTES: Magic G Jason Richardson left with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter with a sprained left knee, the team said. He is day to day. ... Magic F Quentin Richardson sat out with a sprained left ankle. He remained hopeful to return Monday when the Magic play at the New York Knicks. ... Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber watched the game from courtside seats.

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Follow Antonio Gonzalez at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Notebook: Magic 117, Warriors 109

By Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com
Posted Friday January 13, 2012 2:46AM

THE FACTS: Dwight Howard set an all-time NBA record for free-throw attempts in a single game, making 39 trips to the line as the Orlando Magic outlasted the Golden State Warriors 117-109 Thursday. Howard converted 21 foul shots as part of a 45-point, 23-rebound, four-steal, three-assist, two-block night, tying his career high for points and setting a new personal best in free throws made. It was the first 40-20 game of Howard's illustrious career, just the third in Magic history, and allowed Orlando to go 3-0 on its Western road swing. Monta Ellis produced 30 points and 11 assists for the Warriors, and David Lee added a season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double.

QUOTABLE: "I just tried to be aggressive and get to the line. I didn't care if I missed 30. I was still going to go up there and shoot the next one with confidence."
-- Dwight Howard

THE STAT: With Kwame Brown lost to a torn pectoral muscle, and Andris Biedrins lasting just 21 minutes, Warriors coach Mark Jackson felt he had no other choice than to employ a system of deliberately fouling Howard, who came into the game shooting 42.6 percent from the line. The Warriors committed 36 fouls on the evening. Biedrins and Lee fouled out, while Ekpe Udoh and Klay Thompson each had five fouls. Howard improved markedly as the game went on, going from 3-for-8 in the first quarter to 8-for-11 in the fourth. "It is amazing," Magic guard J.J. Redick joked. "It's amazing that he made 21."

TURNING POINT: Howard's three-point play had given Orlando a 112-109 lead with 1:05 remaining, but it was Von Wafer who delivered the kill shot, draining a 3-pointer from the right corner to put the Magic up 6 with 36.9 seconds remaining.

QUOTABLE II: "I can understand people thinking, 'Why?' but don't get caught up in the free throws. Think about when we didn't foul him. It was dunks, hooks, at the rim. He's a great player. And he's a bad free throw shooter. Giving ourselves the best chance possible, we tried to mess up their rhythm, take their 3-point shooters out of it, which we did. They made plays."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu drew praise prior to the game from coach Stan Van Gundy and continued his run with 20 points and a team-high nine assists.

HOT: While Howard was missing 18 free throws, the rest of his team went 15-for-16 from the stripe. Turkoglu had the only non-Howard miss for Orlando.

ROOKIE WATCH: Warriors swingman Klay Thompson was notable mostly in the first half for being one of the sacrificial lambs in Jackson's fouling plan. But he rebounded with 11 points in the second half to finish with 14 total, including 4-for-5 3-pointers.

NOTABLE: Howard broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for free throws in a single game. Chamberlain had 34 attempts for the Philadelphia Warriors against the St. Louis Hawks on Feb. 22, 1962. . . . Howard's performance was the league's first 40-20 game since Shaquille O'Neal hung 48 and 20 for the Lakers against Boston on March 21, 2003. It was the first 40-20 game by an Orlando player since O'Neal put up 46 and 20 for the Magic against Charlotte on Nov. 9, 1994, and the first 40-20 against the Warriors since Patrick Ewing posted 44 and 24 for the Knicks on Nov. 24, 1989. . . . Orlando guard Jason Richardson left the game with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter after colliding with Lee. Richardson was diagnosed with a sprained left knee and did not return. . . . The Warriors played without forward Dorell Wright, who suffered a left knee contusion when he banged knees with Dwyane Wade against Miami on Tuesday. Wright is considered day-to-day, but told NBA.com he's hopeful he can go Saturday in Charlotte. . . . Brandon Rush started in place of Wright and had 12 points and three assists. . . . Ellis had his seventh career 30-10 game. . . . Orlando forward Quentin Richardson sat out with a sprained left ankle.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Saturday @ Charlotte, Sunday @ Detroit, Tuesday @ Cleveland. For the Magic, Monday @ New York, Tuesday vs. Charlotte, Wednesday vs. San Antonio.

• Magic: Orton, Richardson
• Warriors: Brown, Curry

• Magic: Davis
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #60 James Williams, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 17754
• Duration: 2:38