Magic-Bobcats Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Dec 15 2012 12:21AM

Playing a third game in four nights, the Orlando Magic's trip to Charlotte could be coming at just the right time.

The Magic will try to win for the third time in four games Saturday night when they take on the free-falling Charlotte Bobcats, losers of 10 straight.

After finishing a five-game road trip with three wins, Orlando (9-13) lost 86-80 to red-hot Atlanta on Wednesday before beating Golden State 99-85 on Friday to snap a four-game home losing streak.

The Magic rank near the bottom of the NBA in 3-pointers per game (5.5), but would like to carry over their hot shooting after connecting on 9 of 21 attempts in stopping the Warriors' five-game winning streak.

"I just think we got our legs back underneath us a little bit," coach Jacque Vaughn said. "I think it showed in our ability to make shots tonight (and) kept the floor moving. It's good to have a lot of things go well for us tonight."

Orlando improved to 9-4 with a 100.7 scoring average when it makes at least five 3-pointers. The Magic, however, are 0-9 while averaging 79.2 points when finishing with four or fewer 3s.

J.J. Redick, the Magic's leading 3-point shooter, finished with four 3s and 16 points against the Warriors. He's gone 9 for 20 from long distance in his last three games.

While the Magic rank near the bottom of the league in scoring (91.9), they should like their chances against a Charlotte defense that has allowed the most 3-pointers in the league (9.4 per game) after giving up 14 in a 113-90 loss to Atlanta on Thursday night.

The Hawks shot a season-high 57.3 percent from the field against Charlotte (7-15), which has allowed 108.7 points per game during its skid after giving up just 99.6 during a 7-5 start.

"We can't come up with any consistent stops," guard Gerald Henderson said. "It's on everybody. We're playing in the NBA. There are some tough matchups out there for whatever lineups we have out there."

The loss in Atlanta gave the Bobcats their sixth double-digit losing streak in the nine-year history of the franchise.

They haven't won since outlasting Washington 108-106 in double overtime on Nov. 24. Charlotte, though, still has a ways to go to equal the team record of 23, set during last season's 7-59 campaign.

"We're a young team, but we will stay together and hopefully start playing better and getting some breaks as well," rookie Jeff Taylor said after scoring 12 points against the Hawks.

After averaging 21.2 points in his first six games in December, leading scorer Kemba Walker will try to bounce back from scoring 13 points on 6 of 15 shooting against the Hawks.

That might not be easy. Walker averaged 7.8 points and shot 31.1 percent in four games against Orlando as a rookie last season.

Henderson, on the other hand, has averaged 19.0 points in his last five versus the Magic.

Orlando had won nine straight in Charlotte - including a pair of playoff victories - before the Bobcats' 100-84 win March 6.

Davis, Afflalo lead Magic over Bobcats 107-98

By STEVE REED
Posted Dec 15 2012 11:18PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Orlando Magic are beginning to learn how to close out games.

That's a lesson the Charlotte Bobcats have yet to master.

Glen Davis and Arron Afflalo each scored 20 points and Orlando outscored Charlotte 15-5 in the final 3:34 to hand the slumping Bobcats their 11th straight loss Saturday night, 107-98.

Jameer Nelson added 16 points and six assists and J.J. Redick had 14 points, including a big 3-pointer down the stretch for the Magic, who've won three of their past four. Nikola Vucevic was a force inside the paint with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

"This is a new team and we're still finding each other," Davis said. "As a team, we're learning and this was a game where we learned from our past experience."

Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said his team is showing better composure down the stretch.

"Our huddle was composed, the players were composed and I think it showed on the floor," Vaughn said. "It was great to see and great to see the process and our guys improving."

It helped that the Magic scored 60 points in the paint on 30 of 45 shooting.

"We were just being aggressive," Davis said. "With me down there scoring some points and Arron and Jameer making things happen, it kind of set the tone for our play. And we were able to control the paint."

The Orlando win overshadowed a career-high 32 points from Kemba Walker.

Charlotte's second-year point guard was 11 of 19 from the field.

He also had seven assists.

"I'm trying to get better," Walker said. "That's all you do at this point. I'm just doing whatever I can do to help my team win basketball games. No matter how many points I have I really don't care about that stuff. I'm just trying to win. It wasn't enough tonight."

Walker, Charlotte's first-round pick a season ago, has excelled this season, particularly at home where he came in shooting 45 percent and averaging 20.4 points per game; compared to 32 percent and 12.4 points per game on the road.

Nelson, for one, walked away impressed.

"He's a great young player," Nelson said of Walker. "He's quick and one of the best scoring point guards in the league. There's a lot of time left in his career and he's going to get better."

The Magic shot 54.5 percent from the field, led by Davis and Afflalo, who were a combined 15 of 25.

Orlando led 92-88 when Walker hit a long 3 from the top of the key. On Orlando's next possession Davis spun to the basket, but Byron Mullens had a two-handed block igniting a fast-break layup on the other end for Walker to give Charlotte the lead with 4:07 left in the game.

But the lead was short-lived.

Afflalo gave the Magic the lead back for good seconds later with a turnaround jumper in the lane igniting an 8-0 run.

After Davis added a free throw, Redick came off a screen and knocked down a wide open 3-pointer at the top of the key to push the lead to five.

As Charlotte struggled to hit shots down the stretch, Nelson made a baseline jumper just as the shot clock expired and Vucevic sent the crowd heading to the exits after scoring and drawing a foul on a nice drive and pass from Nelson to give the Magic a 105-98 lead.

Gerald Henderson had 16 points and Ramon Sessions added 14 for Charlotte.

In what has been a familiar refrain for the Bobcats, they struggled down the stretch missing six shots on their final seven possessions and turned the ball over once.

Meanwhile, they struggled again to make big stops when they needed to.

"Teams are just adjusting to what we do," Sessions said. "I can't state that enough. We just have to make adjustments. I don't know what it is but some type of adjustment has to be made on the offensive end and the defensive end."

Said Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap: "We had some good looks and the fact of the matter is there were some 15-footers and six-footers that didn't go in. That makes it frustrating when you lose games."

But Dunlap said the real problem has been the Bobcats defense

Charlotte has allowed opponents to score at least 100 points in 12 of its past 13 games.

"When you give up 54 percent shooting from the floor and they're getting over 100 points regularly we know what the culprit is," Dunlap said.

Notes: Looking for a spark, Dunlap reinserted Henderson into the starting lineup in place of Taylor. Henderson hadn't started since injuring his foot in Week 2. ... Afflalo and Davis both finished in double digits in scoring for the 20th time this season. ... Magic forward Maurice Harkless tied a career high with four blocked shots.

Notebook: Magic 107, Bobcats 98

Bill Kiser, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:58 PM - Updated Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:58 PM

THE FACTS: Glen Davis and Arron Afflalo scored 20 points each and the Orlando Magic overcame a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 107-98 on Saturday night at Time Warner Arena in Charlotte.

Jameer Nelson added 16 points, J.J. Redick had 14 and Nikola Vucevic put up 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic (10-13), who won their second straight game and improved to 5-3 in the month of December.

Kemba Walker scored a career-high 32 points and led three other players in double figures for Charlotte (7-16), which has now lost 11 consecutive games.

QUOTABLE: "This is a new team, and we're still finding each other. We're still learning to do the things we need to do. This was a learning point for us."

-- Orlando's Glen Davis

THE STAT: The Magic's inside game, led by Davis and Vucevic, had a 43-31 rebounding edge and a 60-54 advantage in points scored in the paint over the Bobcats.

TURNING POINT: The Bobcats took their last lead, 93-92, on a Walker layup with 4:07 left in the fourth quarter. But Afflalo put the Magic back on top for good 17 seconds later with his eight-foot turnaround jumper. Orlando would go on to outscore Charlotte 15-5 over the final four minutes.

QUOTABLE II: "Our huddle and our players were composed, and I think that showed on the floor. We drew up plays and guys went out and executed them. It was great to see the process and see how much they have improved."

-- Magic coach Jacque Vaughn

HOT: Walker was 11-for-20 from the field -- including 2-for-5 on 3-pointers -- and 8-for-9 from the free-throw line during Saturday's game, bettering his previous career high of 30 points posted earlier this season against the Indiana Pacers. He also had seven assists. ... The Magic's starters shot a combined 29-for-49 (59.1 percent) from the field against the Bobcats. By comparison, Charlotte's starters were 25-for-58 (43.1 percent) from the field. ... Orlando's bench outscored the Bobcats' reserves 36-27.

NOT: While the Magic forced the Bobcats into 11 turnovers, only one of those came off a steal.

QUOTABLE III: "We had some good looks ... there were some 15-footers and some six-footers, and they did not go in. That makes it frustrating, because when you lose games you're thinking to yourself, 'it's always two things -- did you defend the rim and paint, and did you shoot well→' Really, the culprit tonight was defense. When you give up 54 percent [shooting] from the floor and they're getting over 100 regularly, we know where the culprit is."

-- Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap

ROOKIE WATCH: Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had one of his worst games of the season, finishing with just three points in 21 minutes. While Kidd-Gilchrist added five rebounds and three blocked shots, he also picked up three first-half fouls that limited his effectiveness. ... Magic rookie Maurice Harkless, getting starting minutes because of Hedo Turkoglu's hand injury, managed just two points, three rebounds and an assist in 21 minutes. However, he made up for some things on the defensive end with a game-high four blocked shots.

NOTABLE: The Magic have now won two straight back-to-back series, and are 2-2 in back-to-backs this season.

UP NEXT: For the Magic, Monday vs. Timberwolves, Wednesday vs. Wizards, Friday @ Raptors. For the Bobcats, Tuesday @ L.A. Lakers, Wednesday @ Suns, Friday @ Warriors.

• Magic: Harrington, Turkoglu
• Bobcats: Thomas

• Magic: --
• Bobcats: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #70 Brent Barnaky, #20 Leroy Richardson
• Attendance: 16217
• Duration: 2:15