By Matthew Gardner | OrlandoMagic.com

The Orlando Magic got 24 points and 21 rebounds from Dwight Howard as they cruised to their fourth straight victory with a 97-83 win against the Charlotte Bobcats. The 20-20 performance by Howard was the second time he's accomplished the feat this season and fourth time in his career. The Magic also got 15 points from Grant Hill and 14 from Darko Milicic. Orlando travels to Memphis next for a matchup with the Grizzlies on Monday.

After holding a five point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Magic kicked it into high gear in the second - scoring 32 points in the quarter and went into halftime with a 57-43 lead. A balanced scoring attack in the second half allowed the team to maintain the lead for the remainder of the game.

Charlotte got 26 points from Emeka Okafor, but the Bobcats shot only 39 percent for the game - including 1-of-17 from three-point range.

With the win, the Magic moved into a tie with Cleveland for the lead in the Eastern Conference.

9:22PM: That's going to do it from Orlando. The Magic improve to 7-3 with a 97-83 victory.

9:14PM: Matt Carroll update...dislocated pinkie finger on left hand. On an unrelated note, the Bobcats are 1-of-15 from three-point range tonight! Ouch! Magic still leading, 94-77 with 2:55 left.

9:12PM: We've got 4:29 left in this one and the Magic well in command, 92-75. Not a lot of excitement at the moment as the Magic have maintained the lead throughout the game. Darko has come into the game and played well. He's got 12 points now to go along with six rebounds. That means Dwight and Darko have combined for 36 points and 27 rebounds. The crowd is chanting, "We Want Outlaw". Will Coach Hill bring in the popular veteran?

9:04PM: Matt Carroll is a bit of pain for Charlotte. He rushed over to the Bobcats bench clutching his hand and then was rushed toward the locker room. Looks like it might have been a dislocated finger. I'll give you an update if it comes before the conclusion of the game.

8:59PM: The Magic have increased the lead to 85-69 with 8:41 to go in the game. Grant has very quickly picked up 12 points tonight and is the team's second leading scorer after Dwight's 24-point effort. Other scoring for the Magic so far...Nelson 9, Turkoglu 8, Milicic 8, Arroyo 8, Dooling 6, Ariza 5, Garrity 3 and Battie 2.

8:52PM: End of three in Orlando. The Magic lead, 76-64.

8:50PM: There you go...with 1:15 left in the third quarter, Dwight already has a 24-point, 20-rebound performance. Magic lead, 76-64.

8:46PM: There's 2:35 left in the third quarter and the Magic are still holding a 72-62 lead. Dwight has definitely been the story in this one. He's got 20 points now and 18 rebounds.

8:37PM: It's now a 13-point Magic lead after a giant dunk by Dwight. The big man is feeling it tonight. He's up to 18 points with 13 rebounds. Okafor isn't looking too bad either with 20 points, but trailing in the rebound category by nine. Magic lead 68-55 with 5:56 in the third period.

8:32PM: Charlotte has come out of the locker room playing much better and have cut the Magic lead to only seven, 60-53. However, Dwight Howard just took the ball to the basket, made the shot and was fouled. He also hits the free throw to bring the lead back to 10. He also has 16 points and 12 rebounds.

8:25PM: Second half underway. Okafor's running hook puts the first points on the board in the third quarter.

8:08PM: Halftime in Orlando: Magic 57, Bobcats 43.

8:06PM: Dwight with a nice move inside for a bucket and he now has 13 points. Charlotte can't connect on the other end and the Magic push the ball down the floor, finding Grant open for a bucket with just 28 ticks left in the first half and the Magic holding a 57-42 lead. Charlotte now has the ball with 7.6 left and Raymond Felton at the line. The Magic going to hit the locker room with a comfortable lead.

7:57PM: A three by Carlos Arroyo and the Magic lead is now 48-36. In the Howard-Okafor battle, Okafor has 14 points and four rebounds. Howard hasn't hit double digits yet, but does have 9 points and 9 boards....looking very poised for another 20-20 against the Bobcats. It was almost a year ago this time that Dwight became the youngest player to ever achieve a double-double. And Dwight just hit a pair of free throws and now has 11 points. Magic lead 51-38.

7:49PM: Magic haven't been able to move away, despite shooting 50 percent, holding the edge in rebounding and having less turnovers. But they are playing better. After Charlotte cut the lead to four, Orlando responded with buckets by Milicic and Ariza and now hold a 37-28 edge.

7:43PM: Second unit (Arroyo, Dooling, Milicic, Ariza and Garrity) are on the floor and Magic are responding. Good ball movement left Arroyo open for a jumper and the Magic lead is now 29-22.

7:36PM: That's the end of the first quarter here in Orlando. The Magic lead, 25-20.

7:31PM: The Bobcats just went on a 6-0 run and have pulled within four, 20-16. Okafor and Morrison have accounted for all of Charlotte's scoring as Okafor has 10 and Morrison with 6. The rest of the team is 0-for-8.

7:28PM: The Magic and Bobcats are among the league leaders in turnovers per game. In fact, the Magic are the leaders with 20 plus TOs per contest and the Bobcats rank No. 27. So far, the battle is tied with four apiece.

7:26PM: The Magic have now built a 16-8 lead...make that 16-10 as Adam Morrison gets on the board with his first make of the night.

7:17PM: A couple early threes by Jameer and Hedo have given the Magic a 10-6 lead.

7:12PM: Tip-off time and Howard will be in the middle with Okafor....the '04 No. 1 and No. 2 picks square off once again. And the tip goes to...the Magic. First possession for the home team, the ball goes into Dwight and the big man takes the hook shot and it goes in and out. For Charlotte, Sean May misses a jumper near the free throw line. Next Magic possession and Tony Battie gets the good guys on the board. Magic 2, Bobcats 0.

7:09PM: Tonight's starting lineups....For Charlotte: Gerald Wallace, Sean May, Emeka Okafor, Adam Morrison and Raymond Felton. And for your Orlando Magic....Hedo Turkoglu, Tony Battie, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill.

7:03PM: Good Saturday everyone and welcome to tonight's Baseline Blog. Pre-game intros are coming up very soon...

Pre-Game Preview
The Orlando Magic will put a three-game winning streak on the line Saturday night when they welcome the Charlotte Bobcats to town.

Following a pair of successful road visits to Minnesota and Boston, the Magic returned home and picked up a victory Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets. Keyon Dooling had a spectacular game off the bench in that one, scoring 25 points and was a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range in that game. The Magic got a giant boost from its bench in that game as the reserves outscored the starters 57-51. All season long, bench play from guys like Dooling, Carlos Arroyo, Darko Milicic, Keith Bogans and Trevor Ariza has kept the Magic in games while the starters are not on the court.

Charlotte comes into town after picking up its second win of the season in a big way. After a 1-6 start, the Bobcats surprised many on Wednesday night by marching into San Antonio and defeating the Spurs in overtime, 95-92.

While many still consider the Bobcats a young squad and not yet ready for the playoffs, it's clear the pieces are starting to work themselves into place. After battling injuries his first couple seasons in the league, Emeka Okafor is looking poised for a breakout season - already averaging 19.1 ppg to go along with 12.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per contest. In addition, rookie Adam Morrison has worked his way into the lineup and is averaging 14.9 ppg. Meanwhile, fellow starters Gerald Wallace, Brevin Knight and Raymond Felton are all averaging double digits in scoring - giving the Bobcats a solid scoring attack.