Trail Blazers-Magic Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Feb 09 2013 2:10PM

Hampered by injuries all season, the Orlando Magic are mired in a 12-game losing streak - their worst in nearly nine years. They'll try again to stop their slide when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

Orlando's skid is its longest since dropping 13 in a row March 13-April 10, 2004, and the club has lost 23 of 25. Nikola Vucevic scored a career-high 25 and Arron Afflalo had 23 in his return from a six-game absence Friday, but the Magic (14-36) fell 119-108 at Cleveland.

J.J. Redick missed his third straight game with a sore shoulder and Hedo Turkoglu sat out for the second consecutive time with the flu. Glen Davis has missed five in a row with a broken left foot and could miss the rest of the season, while Al Harrington has yet to play due to knee surgery.

Besides the rash of injuries, the Magic have struggled to defend lately.

Opponents are scoring 101.7 points per game and shooting 48.5 percent over the last 12 contests. After playing better defense in two games against Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the week - those teams shot a combined 42.9 percent - Orlando gave up its second-highest regulation point total of the season to the Cavaliers.

The Magic allowed the Blazers shoot 51.1 percent in a 125-119 overtime defeat Jan. 7.

"(Basketball) is a great game," coach Jacque Vaughn said. "It teaches you lessons every time out. We complicate the game when it doesn't need to be complicated, which is why we struggle."

Portland (25-25) has lost two straight and been particularly bad away from home recently, going 1-6 in its last seven road contests.

Second-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge has totaled 58 points and shot 55.6 percent in the past two games, and he's recorded a career-best seven consecutive double-doubles.

However, his 31-point, 11-rebound performance in a 118-103 defeat at Houston on Friday wasn't enough to overcome another rough defensive effort. The Rockets shot 59.5 percent and got 35 points and 13-of-16 shooting from James Harden.

Blazers opponents have hit 48.8 percent from the field in the past eight contests.

"They were shooting the ball well inside, outside and mid-range, and were getting to the rim," coach Terry Stotts said. "We didn't have any answers for them defensively."

Portland has won four of the last five meetings with Orlando, getting 27 points from Aldridge in the January matchup. He's averaged 24.7 points in his last three games against the Magic.

Magic beat Blazers 110-104 to end 12-game skid

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Posted Feb 10 2013 10:19PM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) J.J. Redick scored 22 points, Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and 19 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 110-104 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

The Magic shot 50 percent from the field in earning their first win since Jan. 16. They play their next two games at home. Reserve Gustavo Ayon had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Orlando.

LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 25 points. Nicolas Batum added 19 points and Wesley Matthews chipped in 17.

The Blazers, who have lost three in a row overall, fell to 1-7 in their last eight road games. They play at Miami Tuesday and New Orleans on Wednesday before the All-Star break.

Notebook: Magic 110, Trail Blazers 104

Dick Scanlon, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:52 PM - Updated Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:52 PM

THE FACTS: J.J. Redick scored 22 points, Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and 19 rebounds and backup center Gustavo Ayon had the best game of his career as the Orlando Magic broke a 12-game losing streak with a 110-104 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday.

Ayon came off the bench for the Magic (15-36) to match his career high with 16 points, set a career high with six assists, and added 11 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had a career-high 15 assists in the Magic's first win since Jan. 16. LeMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 25 points and Nicolas Batum had 19 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers (25-26), who never led after the middle of the second quarter.

QUOTABLE: "It's really just our team defense. If we can stop making so many errors and individual breakdowns, and continue to help each other out defensively and gets stops. . . . We can stay in game with our offense, but to win games you have to get stops down the stretch and we did."

-- Magic guard Arron Afflalo

THE STAT: The Magic had 34 assists (one short of their season high set at Portland in overtime) on 47 field goals.

TURNING POINT: In a three-minute sequence in the second quarter, Ayon set up Andrew Nicholson for a layup with a behind-the-back pass, blocked a shot, helped contribute for a steal (which was credited to Afflalo) and hit two long jump shots. Portland never led again.

HOT: Led by Redick, the Magic bench shot 23-for-37 (62 percent). This was six days after the entire team made 23 field goals in a loss at Philadelphia.

NOT: Portland guard Damian Lillard, a leading Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, shot 1-for-16, including 0-for-8 from behind the arc.

QUOTABLE II: "I wouldn't say it was my worst game. It was my worst shooting game, probably. I thought I had a couple of deflections and I know I had a lot of assists [12] so I still impacted the game somewhat. I just didn't make the shots that I normally do."

-- Damian Lillard

GOOD MOVE: The 7-foot Vucevic and 6-foot-10 Ayon played together for 15 1/2 minutes, most of them good minutes for Orlando.

QUOTABLE III: "We stayed big and luckily we didn't get hit with the 3-point approach, which could happen when you stay big and other teams go small."

-- Magic coach Jacque Vaughn

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Vucevic had his 30th straight game of nine or more rebounds. His rebound average is now 11.6, compared to 11.7 for NBA-leader Dwight Howard.

ROOKIE WATCH: The Magic's Nicholson, Maurice Harkless and Kyle O'Quinn combined for 25 points and 11 rebounds.

NOTABLE: The Magic had a 50-38 rebound advantage . . . Both teams shot just over 50 percent . . . The 12-game losing streak was the fifth-longest in Magic history and the longest in nine years.

UP NEXT: For the Blazers: Tuesday @ Miami, Wednesday @ New Orleans, Tuesday (Feb. 19) @ Phoenix. For the Magic: Wednesday vs. Atlanta, Tuesday (Feb. 19) vs. Charlotte, Wednesday (Feb. 20) @ Dallas.

• Trail Blazers: Pavlovic, Williams
• Magic: Davis, Harrington

• Trail Blazers: --
• Magic: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #16 David Guthrie, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 17966
• Duration: 2:08