GameNight SpecificsNBA Coverage: Game InfoDate: Monday, Jan. 3Time: 7 p.m.Location: Amway Center (Orlando, FL)Radio: AM 580 WDBO, AM 1270 WRLZTelevision: Sun Sports
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GAME RECAP
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Hedo Turkoglu gave Magic fans a glowing demonstration of why the team made him a key figure in its massive reorganization two weeks ago.
Turkoglu, part of two trades involving eight players that Orlando engineered to reload its roster, had 10 points, 10 assists and 14 rebounds in the Magic's 110-90 rout over Golden State on Monday night.
"I'm glad I finally did something to help this team win," said Turkoglu, who has been steady in nearly every game since his return to the Magic. "When I have the ball in my hands, I'm able to do the things I'm good at. My strength is to be the guy who is a facilitator, get my shot or find one for my teammates."
It was the third triple-double of his career and helped the Magic run their winning streak to six games. Dwight Howard scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.
Jason Richardson, who came to Orlando from Phoenix with Turkoglu and Earl Clark, said the Magic are taking better advantage of Turkoglu's ball-handling skills than the Suns did. Much of that was evident in the second half when Orlando outscored Golden State 66-37 to erase a nine-point halftime deficit. Turkoglu for seven assists in the final two periods.
"It's great to see Hedo come back alive and play the kind of basketball he's capable of playing," Richardson said. "It was a different situation in Phoenix. Steve (Nash) was so great with the ball out there and we couldn't really figure a way to play them together out there.
"But (Turkoglu) is like having another point guard here. He knows the system and he's really taking advantage of it," Richardson said.
Howard played a key role in opening up the floor for Turkoglu and his teammates. Orlando made 15 3-pointers, 12 in the second half when the Warriors couldn't decide whether to smother Howard inside or stay with Orlando's shooters out on the perimeter. Turns out, they did neither.
"When you've got to deal with Dwight Howard, it's going to force your team to help in ways you don't really want to help," Golden State Coach Keith Smart said.
"Unfortunately, we don't have anyone who can guard him one-on-one."
The Warriors had things going their way in the first half when they outrebouned Orlando 25-17 and slipped away to a 53-44 halftime advantage. Dorell Wright had 12 of his 17 points, but neither Wright nor his teammates could keep up with the Magic after the break.
"Maybe we can just play a half and go home," said Smart, whose team blew a 14-point halftime lead in Miami two nights earlier. "We played very, very good basketball against two elite teams and for whatever reason, didn't come out in the second half and play at the level necessary to win."
Monta Ellis led Golden State with 20 points. The Warriors played without starting center David Lee, who bruised his back in a loss at Miami and is day to day.
The Magic, who were just 3 of 11 on 3-pointers in the first half, hit a flurry of 3s in the third quarter and early in the fourth to easily erase the nine-point halftime deficit. Orlando was 12 of 21 on 3-pointers in the second half.
Richardson started the second half with a 3-pointer and Jameer Nelson followed with two more 3s, the second one giving Orlando a 64-62 lead with 5:21 left in the third period. Gilbert Arenas nailed the final 3-pointer of the period just before the buzzer, pushing the Magic lead to 79-71.
Ryan Anderson drained two more 3s early in the fourth quarter, the second one giving Orlando an 89-75 lead with 9:33 left in the game. Golden State never got closer than 10 the rest of the game.
Anderson and J.J. Redick each had 13 points, Nelson and Arenas had 11 apiece and Brandon Bass added 10 points.
NOTES: Redick is 44 for 80 from behind the 3-point line in his last 20 games. Wright is averaging 22.4 points and shooting 48 percent (25 of 52) from behind the 3-point line in his last seven games.
DENTON'S POSTGAME ANALYSIS VS. WARRIORS
ORLANDO – Watching the way Hedo Turkoglu perfectly baited the defense by driving hard down the lane and then kicking out to a wide-open shooter for one 3-pointer after another, Jameer Nelson came to a conclusion that should simultaneously delight Orlando Magic fans and puzzle those in Toronto and Phoenix.
``It’s almost like Turk never left,’’ Nelson said, referring to Turkoglu’s stellar play in Orlando back in 2009 before he left for Toronto and then Phoenix the past two seasons. ``He’s the same Turk all over again with the same personality and we know how he’s going to play. He’s comfortable with us and he’s been great again in our system.’’
Whereas Turkoglu was a free-agent flop in Toronto and mostly miscast as a spot-up shooter in Phoenix, his career seems re-born again in Orlando – the same sight of his greatest days in the NBA from 2004-09. Back with the ball in his hands in Orlando, Turkoglu delivered a triple-double Monday night with 10 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists as the Magic stormed past Golden State 110-90 at Amway Arena.
For Turkoglu, it was the third triple-double of his career – all with the Magic. The other two came during the 2007-08 season when Turkoglu enjoyed a career season and won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Considering how much of a non-factor he was the past two seasons in Toronto and Phoenix, he might actually be up for the bounce-back honor again in Orlando.
``When I have the ball in my hands I’m able to do the things that I’m good at,’’ said Turkoglu, who set season highs in rebounds (14) and assists (10) and a career high in steals (five). ``It’s not like I want the ball in my hands all the time or we have to run everything through me. But here they use my strengths as a facilitator to create shots for my teammates. As long as I can do those things, we’ll win games and I’ll be really happy about it.’’
Dwight Howard, the recipient of several Turkoglu lob passes, had 22 points and 17 rebounds and eight Magic players scored in double figures as Orlando (22-12) won its sixth consecutive game. Jason Richardson scored 20 points, making four of Orlando’s 15 3-point shots.
``Every game, every practice we’re all feeling more comfortable with the system here,’’ said Richardson, who along with Gilbert Arenas, Earl Clark and Turkoglu are in their eighth game with the Magic since two blockbuster trades. ``We know this team could be a contender for a championship. We know that if we play well, we’ve got a good chance to win every game we play here.’’
Turkoglu’s triple-double – the 18th in team history and the first since Howard’s last November – didn’t become official until he hit a fastbreak 3-pointer with 1:56 to play and a pass-ahead assist to J.J. Redick with 59.7 seconds left. Clearly aware of what he had just done, Turkoglu waved his arms and danced all the way back up the floor.
Not that there weren’t a few tense moments before then.
``I knew that he was close. When he threw the ball to me and I didn’t shoot, he yelled at me and I was like, `What’s going on?’ He said, `I need an assist,’’’ Richardson joked. ``We wanted to get him a triple-double because they are very rare and hard to come by. In that situation, the guy is so close that you want him to get it.’’
Joked Turkoglu: ``It was really painful those last few minutes. I was telling my teammates to shoot the ball and they kept passing it out and it was (ticking) me off. J.J. did and I’m glad I did something to help our team win the game.’’
Here’s a look back at what went right, what went wrong and some final observations from Monday night’s Magic pull-away in the second half at Amway Center:
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