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Magic Begin 2007 With Win Against Clippers
January 2, 2006 - Amway Arena
1 2 3 4 F
CLIPPERS 28 20 15 23 86
MAGIC 23 18 26 24 91
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During each Magic home game, the Baseline Blog will bring you closer to the action - both on and off the court - at Amway Arena. Logon at game time and follow the action throughout the night as we'll be blogging with new updates every 5-7 minutes during the game.

By Matthew Gardner | OrlandoMagic.com

The Orlando Magic have started off 2007 with a victory after Tuesday night's 91-86 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Magic snapped a three-game losing streak against the Clippers as Jameer Nelson led the way with 29 points. Dwight Howard pitched in with 14 points and 14 rebounds and Trevor Ariza also had 14 off the bench. The Magic return to action on Friday when they host the Charlotte Bobcats.

Trailing by as many as 11 in the first half and by seven at halftime, the Magic put things together in the second half as the Clippers struggled with turnovers and saw their shooting percentage take a drastic plunge. Orlando outscored L.A. 26-15 in the third quarter and led by as many as nine in the early stages of the fourth before the Clippers came within three points in the final minute.

Los Angeles had a chance to tie the game with 4.0 seconds remaining in the game, but Tim Thomas' attempt didn't even draw iron and Jameer Nelson hit a pair of free throws after being fouled to seal the victory.

Hedo Turkoglu, who was 0-for-5 in the first half, was 6-of-10 in the second half and finished with 13 points. Former Magic player Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 20 points off the bench, while also five Clippers starters were also in double figures - Elton Brand (15), Tim Thomas (13), Chris Kaman (12), Cuttino Mobley (12) and Shaun Livingston.

9:46PM: Clippers gonna try to tie the game...Livingston to inbounds. He finds Thomas across the court, who fires a three and draws nothing but air with 1.7 remaining on the clock. Orlando takes over as the ball sails out of bounds and Hedo inbounds to Jameer, who is fouled with 1.0 seconds remaining. One free throw here and the Magic are assured of a win. He hits the free throw and it's a victory to start 2007 for the Orlando Magic!

9:45PM: Hold the phone, folks. The Magic turnover the inbounds pass and the Clippers have the ball with 4 seconds on the clock and a chance to tie the game.

9:44PM: But Dunleavy apparently has a change of heart and re-inserted Livingston, Brand and Thomas and Mobley hits a three with 4.0 seconds left to make it a three-point game, 89-86. The Magic will have the ball after the timeout.

9:38PM: With 27.9 seconds left, Jameer is fouled and goes to the line with a five point lead. He hits the first free throw, along with the second and it's a seven point Magic lead. Clippers need a quick bucket, but draw a foul instead as Redick fouls Mobley with 20.6 on the clock. Mobley hits both, making it a five-point game as the Clippers pull their starters - the equivalent of flying the white flag.

9:34PM: Final minute of the game and Maggette is again at the line. He hits the first, but again misses the second and the Magic have a five-point lead with 44.8 remaining.

9:32PM: Just 1:51 left on the clock and Maggette at the line shooting two with the Clippers trailing by seven, 86-79. He hits the first, but misses the second and the Magic hold a six point lead.

9:26PM: A big spin move is followed by a thunderous dunk by Dwight Howard! The fourth quarter fireworks just keep coming in Orlando.

9:22PM: Orlando isn't slowing down yet. The boys get on a fastbreak with Hedo finding Jameer (25 points) for an easy two and the Clippers call timeout - down by nine with 4:15 remaining.

9:20PM: Jameer Nelson's layup gives Orlando its biggest lead of the night at eight, 80-72. But former Magic player Cory Maggette makes a shot and is fouled. He hits his free throw and cuts the lead to only five, 80-75 with less than five minutes remaining. However, Trevor Ariza hits a layup and the Magic lead is now seven.

9:16PM: L.A. pulled within three, but Hedo (13 second half points) hits yet another three to give Orlando a six-point lead with 5:53 remaining in the game.

9:10PM: Magic still holding a four point lead at the 8:42 mark after Hedo hits a three-pointer. The Clippers are staying close, but battling foul trouble at the moment. Tim Thomas has five and Elton Brand has four. Brand is their leading scorer with 15 points, while Thomas has 13.

9:01PM: Jameer's outside jumper gives Orlando the lead in the final minute and they also get the ball for the quarter's last possession where Jameer feeds Trevor for a jumper with two seconds remaining and Orlando takes a 67-63 lead into the fourth quarter.

8:58PM: Still a tied game with 2:02 remaining in the third. Chris Kaman breaks the tie with a hook that goes in, but the Magic come right back as Hedo feeds Dwight with a pretty alley-oop to make it a 63-63 ballgame with 1:11 left in the quarter.

8:49PM: After a horrible first half, Hedo Turkoglu (0-for-5) has things going now and has six points in the third quarter as the Magic have pulled within three, 59-56. Dwight was just fouled and will go to the line with a chance to make it a one point game. He makes the first, but misses the second. It's a two-point game with 3:31 remaining in the quarter. Tony Battie is fouled and goes to the line where he makes the first free throw. He also hits the second and we've got a tie game.

8:46PM: With 5:11 remaining in the third quarter, the Magic trail the Clippers by four. The deficit went as high as nine, but Orlando has found ways to stay in the game. Jameer in the only Magic player in double figures with 17 points. Dwight has nine points and eight rebounds. The Clippers have struggled with turnovers, committing seven in the third after only committing that many in the entire second half.

8:36PM: Second half underway and the Magic have crept within four points after a Jameer three-pointer.

8:14PM: A layup by Dwight, followed by a jumper from Jameer cut it to seven, 46-39 in the final minute. The Clippers hit a pair of free throws, but Jameer cans a jumper as time expires and the Magic head into the locker room down by seven, 48-41.

8:10PM: Under the 2:00 mark in the first half and the Magic trail by 11 points, 46-35. Feels like it's been the same story for much of the game - Clippers shooting very well and the Magic...not so well. Los Angeles also shot above the 60 percent mark when the Magic played at the STAPLES Center in early December. The Clippers are only 14-16 on the season, but something about the Magic seems to bring out the All-Star in all of these guys. Strange.

8:03PM: Dwight checks back into the game and looks to turn things around as he is fouled while making a shot and goes to the line. He hits the free throw and the deficit for the Magic is down to eight. They keep it going on the next possession as Jameer weaves his way through traffic for a layup. Elton Brand hits one at the other end, but the Magic comeback with a Bo Outlaw layup. However, Chris Kaman keeps it an eight point Clippers lead with a bucket.

7:59PM: Well, not a whole lot going right for the Magic at the moment. The Clippers have started the second quarter on a 11-5 run and now have a double digit lead on Orlando, 39-28 with 6:30 remaining in the first half. The Magic already have 10 turnovers and have taken eight less shots than L.A., when is still shooting 60 percent from the field.

7:55PM: A hustle for a loose ball ended with the Clippers getting possession, something that upset Magic coach Brian Hill so much that he received a technical. Mobley hit the free throw and the Clippers lead, 33-26 with 7:58 left until halftime.

7:49PM: Magic struggling to hit shots (42 percent) and with turnovers (8). The combination of the two, along with the Clippers shooting 65 percent from the field have resulted in an eight-point Magic deficit with three minutes expired in the second quarter.

7:43PM: That's the end of the first quarter and the Magic trail the Clippers by five, 28-23.

7:37PM: J.J. Redick checks in for the Magic, hoping to chip away at a five-point deficit.

7:30PM: Ariza continues to play out of his mind. He gets in the game and quickly scores 6 points in three minutes, but the Magic trail by six, 23-17.

7:22PM: Trevor Ariza enters the game for Hedo Turkoglu, after Turk picks up his second foul. And the first play the Magic run is to Ariza, who takes a hand-off from Dwight Howard along the baseline and reverses it for a dunk. Jameer hits a long two and the Magic tie the game at 13-13. Tim Thomas has played well in the opening minutes for L.A., having already scored seven points.

7:18PM: Dwight gets a big dunk and Bogans follows with a three as the Magic jump out to a 7-2 lead. Tim Thomas gets two on the board at the other end, but Battie gets his first bucket of the night and it's a five-point Magic lead.

7:16PM: Magic get on the board as Nelson drives the lane and finger rolls in the first Magic points of 2007.

7:12PM: Tip-off time from Amway Arena and the big man, Dwight Howard, is setting up fo the showdown at half-court with Chris Kaman. And the ball goes to...Orlando. First Magic possession, the ball goes inside to Howard, who kicks it back out to Hedo, but he misses a three. Clippers take it down the floor and get setup and Brand hits a turnaround jumper to put the first points on the board.

7:05PM: Starting lineups for tonight's game...for the Clippers it will be Tim Thomas, Elton Brand, Chris "Caveman" Kaman, former Magic guard Cuttino Mobley and Shaun Livingston. And for your Orlando Magic it will be Hedo Turkoglu, Tony Battie, Dwight Howard, Keith Bogans and Jameer Nelson.

6:59PM: Greetings and welcome to Amway Arena for the first Magic contest of 2007! Happy New Year everyone!

Tonight's contest will feature the return of the old Spaulding leather basketball, which replaced the microfibre composite ball on January 1. Many are wondering how the players will react to the new ball, but let's be honest. These guys have been playing with this leather ball for years - minus the past six months. I think we'll see a cutdown in turnovers and overall - not much change.

The inactives tonight for the Magic will be Grant Hill (sore left foot), Keyon Dooling (left Achilles) and Pat Garrity (sore knee). For the Clippers, Sam Cassell and Zeljko Rebraca will sit out this contest. Starting lineups coming up next!

Pre-Game Preview:
New year, new (old) ball and hopefully the start of another new winning streak for the Orlando Magic.

Tonight's game not only marks the first Magic contest of 2007, but it also marks the return of the old leather ball to the NBA. The new composite ball lived a short life and it will be real interesting to see how players adapt to bringing the leather back to the hardwoods.

The Magic will also be looking for the start of a new winning streak following Saturday's 29-point home victory against the Miami Heat. But they'll have to get that streak going against the Los Angeles Clippers - a team that the Magic have struggled against in recent meetings.

The two squads last played on Dec. 3 when the Clippers ended Orlando's six-game winning streak with a 116-91 victory at the STAPLES Center - handing the Magic their worst loss of the season.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Jan. 2 vs. L.A. Clippers (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 18-17 all-time vs. the L.A. Clippers (11-6 at home, 7-11 on the road) during the regular season, including 0-1 this season (see recap below)…Orlando was 0-2 last season against the Clippers…Orlando has lost six of the last seven meetings, but won 14 of the last 24…The Magic have won nine of the last 13 meetings at home and split the last 12 on the road…Trevor Ariza attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles…Keyon Dooling spent the first four seasons of his career with the Clippers (2000-04)…Bo Outlaw played with the Clippers for four seasons from 1993-97…Assistant GM Dave Twardzik served as an assistant coach with the Clippers during his career…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. the Clippers, see p. 257 of the media guide…Dec. 3 @ L.A. Clippers – Clippers, 116, Magic 91: Elton Brand led five Clippers in double figures with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-14 shooting, as Los Angeles stopped Orlando, 116-91, at STAPLES Center. The loss snapped the Magic’s six-game winning streak and four-game road win streak. Tim Thomas scored 20 points for the Clippers, who shot 60.3 percent from the floor. Dwight Howard led the way for the Magic with 16 points. It was the worst loss of the season for Orlando. The Clippers came out firing right from the opening tap, leading 35-29 after the first quarter and 66-49 at halftime. Orlando opened the second half with a 14-5 spurt and cut the lead to 71-63 with 7:22 left in the third quarter, but it would be as close as the Magic would get. The Clippers answered with a 14-6 run of their own and pushed the lead back to 16. They led by double digits for the remainder of the contest.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. CLIPPERS: 47 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Los Angeles, 12-10-01)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 35 pts., Elton Brand (@ Orlando, 2-1-06)
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POSTGAME QUOTES

NEXT HOME GAME:

vs.

Fri., January 5, 7:00PM
Amway Arena
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Orlando Magic Head Coach Brian Hill:
“Well this was a great way for us to start off the new year, obviously. This is a team (the L.A. Clippers) that’s kind of had our number for the last, I guess five out of the last six games with both games last year and the first game out there this year. But I thought our guys were just spectacular in the second half as far as their defensive effort and their rebounding. To hold Elton Brand to two points in a half, holding them to 15 in the third quarter was the turnaround in the game and I just thought we were the more aggressive team and our defense really bailed us out tonight. Jameer had a great night offensively, Hedo found his shot in the second half and I thought Dwight made some great finds out of the double teams in the second half to help us offensively. Everybody did a fantastic job defensively and that was the difference in the game.”

On the Magic’s third quarter play tonight
“I thought our defense in the third quarter was really the difference. I thought we were the more physical team and I thought we contested every pass, contested every shot. The shots they did make were tough shots. The shots that Kaman made inside - I mean they shot 50 percent for the game… I thought what we did collectively as a team, really did an outstanding job defensively. Guys trusted each other, helped each other and we had a physical presence in there.”

On the last few minutes of the game
“We have a three second violation, we have a shot clock violation, you can’t have those things at the end of the game. The last play, Hedo gets mauled on the out-a-bounds play and they give the ball to the Clippers. We had a stretch there where we made mistakes that we shouldn’t be making, but those are things we have to eliminate obviously.”

On Jameer Nelson’s play
“I don’t know whether not having to deal with Sam (Cassell) was a factor or not. Shaun Livingston gave us fits the last time we played. We knew they were going to try and post him (Jameer) up a little bit because Livingston is 6’7’’ or whatever he is. But I thought he fought him hard. The big thing was that he pressured the ball up the floor all night long and made Livingston work, and not just casually bring the ball up the floor, I thought that was a huge difference. He had him thinking a little bit because of his pressure.”

On the team’s improvement in the past few games
“I think we’re going in the right direction. I thought we came out of our funk in the Washington game. I thought we played the way we should have played against the Miami team that we beat the other night. This game was kind of the “test” game for me to see whether we were moving in the right direction or not. I thought we had to come in and beat this team at home tonight if we played up to our capabilities and if we were back, and now we just can’t have a letdown.”

Orlando Magic Guard Jameer Nelson:
(On Magic’s 3rd qtr.)
“We came out and first and foremost, did a great job defensively. When we play good defensively, it generates offense for us, good offense for us.”

“This was a big win for us, regardless of how you ever want to look at it. It was a big win for us. Seeing how they had beaten us three out of the last three times, I think we wanted to let them know that they’re not going to bully us.”

(On the new, old ball)
“I love it. A basketball is a basketball but for the most part I like that ball a lot better.”

“Those guys did a great job of fighting through the picks that my man was setting on them. I just did what I was supposed to do. Just sty there and make it tougher for Brand to get the ball. And then when my guy\, the transition guy got back, Dwight, Darko, Tony, Bo, got back on him. They did an awesome job on him. Even in the first half, he hit tough shots. First half, the shots that he took, the shots that he hit, were all contested shots. He’s just a great player.”

“That’s one of the things that we talked about; we talked about getting our swagger back. We had the swagger coming into the games early on in the season, thinking that no teams are going to beat us. We just had to get our confidence back.”

“Sometimes I think I’m a little too unselfish, when I get to the hole, I pass it up and get turnovers. Tonight, they didn’t step up so I was wide open for layups. My guys did a good job of getting me open, setting picks, sealing their man when I drove down the lane.”

Orlando Magic Forward/Center Tony Battie:
(On guarding Brand)
“We just tried to stay in his face, force him to shoot some shots. Early, our defense was good but the shot was falling for him. Down the stretch, we just stayed consistent doing that. We were able to force him to miss a couple.”

“It was a collective defensive effort. Certain guys in the lineup that weren’t shooters can help off them a little bit more. A lot of guys helped. Especially Bo. Bo Outlaw came in and he had active hands against him. Darko with his length, Dwight with his athleticism, so we gave him different looks.”

Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Mike Dunleavy:
On the loss…
“It is a disappointing game. We were playing obviously pretty well and defensively we were doing a pretty good job, but second chance points and turnovers just killed us. 25 points on second chance points, 22 points off of turnovers are killer to absorb on a night when we shoot 51 percent from the field. Offensively, we were in a position to score enough points if we don’t turn it over.”

On what happened in the third quarter…
“They got outworked. They came in on the offensive boards and we turned the ball over and allowed them to get an 11-point differential.”

On what happened to the team…
“That is a good question right now. You are playing well, you know what you are doing right, and then we got careless with the basketball. Obviously we were giving some help on the post to Howard. A lot of the rebounding opportunities they got were in a crowd and their guy just went after it and got the ball.”

On the team’s free throw shooting woes…
“Unfortunately we missed some free throws, and they were costly as well.”

On if the new ball led to some missed free throws…
“We both play with the same ball. We shot 51 percent from the field, and that was the same ball. That wasn’t the issue.”

Los Angeles Clippers Forward Elton Brand:
“We felt like we had this game under control, but when you give that many points off turnovers and second chance points it is hard to beat any team. It is very disappointing, because it seemed like we had this game under control.”

“It was more on the defensive end. Our team has a lot of weapons. “Cat”, Corey Maggette, Shawn Livingston, and a lot of guys can score. Kaman can in the post, so when you get your opportunities, you go for it. Tim and I were hot in the first half, but our guys had opportunities too. We shot over 50% from the field as a team. The disappointing part was the offensive rebounds that we let them get and the turnovers that led to easy transition points.”

“Our offense wasn’t flowing in the third quarter and that really hurt us. They came back with a lot of energy and they cut the lead in that third quarter. It was a battle from there.”

“It is a tough game that we lost on the road, but we have one tomorrow. We will pick it up tomorrow and we should be fine.”

“There was no problem with the new ball (tonight). I think I have adjusted well. We shot the ball pretty well.”

“They had energy and when you double-team a guy like Dwight Howard in the post, guys were out of position to rebound.

Los Angeles Clippers Forward Tim Thomas:
“We needed to create the tempo we had in the first half. It is a tough one for us. We know that at the beginning of the games, we try and salvage ourselves by going inside-out. Once Kaman or E.B. gets going, it opens things for myself, Cat or Shawn. In the first half, we got it going and in the second half we didn’t. I don’t know if it was the coverages when they were doubling down on E.B., but it wasn’t the same.”

“It was the turnovers and creating easy points for them on offensive rebounds. That is what they do best and it got them back in the game. Once they got the lead they found the little things to do that hurt us tonight.”

“It was a little different (re-adjusting to new ball again), but it feels good out there. It is a little heavier compared to the other ball, but we will get used to it. As a shooter you try not to think about it, but you can tell. It is a little heavier than the old ball and it is just one of those things.”

POSTGAME NOTES
• The Magic improve to 19-14 on the season with a 91-86 victory over the Clippers.
• This is the fifth time this season that the Magic have come from 10-plus points down to win the game. Orlando’s largest deficit of the night was 11 points.
• Jameer Nelson had a season high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field. Tonight marks Nelson’s sixth 20-point game for the season.
• Dwight Howard recorded his 24th double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Howard also tallied a season high five assists.
• Trevor Ariza had a strong night coming off of the bench with 14 points in 34:30 of play. Over the last seven games Ariza is averaging 15.6 points per game.
• Despite a 50.7 field goal percentage for the Clippers, the Magic outscored Los Angeles 50-38 in the second half.
• The Magic outscored the Clipper’s bench 28-24. Orlando is now 14-7 when outscoring or tying the opponent’s bench.
• The Clippers had six players in double figures, with Corey Maggette tallying a team high 20 points. Elton Brand had 15 points, Tim Thomas 13, Chris Kaman 12, Cuttino Mobley 12 and Shaun Livingston 10.