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From Orlando Sentinel

MAGIC 122, WIZARDS 92

Orlando Magic rout Washington to tie its victory total for all of last season

Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
March 6, 2008
Oleksiy Pecherov, Dwight Howard, Andray Blatche

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) scores over the Washington Wizards' Oleksiy Pecherov (left) and Andray Blatche during a game in Washington, D.C. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press / March 5, 2008)


WASHINGTON - Last season the winning stopped at 40 victories.

The Orlando Magic matched that total on Wednesday night with a 122-92 drubbing of the Washington Wizards -- and they feel, in many ways, as if they're just getting started. They still have 19 games to play.

Looking for much more from the regular season and, especially, from the postseason, the Magic emphatically underscored their progress by recording their biggest rout of the season.

They have gone from last season's 40-42 finish to 40-23 . . . and counting.

"We're trying to get as much as we can -- more wins, a better playoff spot," Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu said. "We've showed we have a better team, a better situation. We're definitely better than 40-23; lost some games we shouldn't have.

"We're establishing ourselves."

The Magic certainly have established a stranglehold on the Southeast Division, increasing their lead over the second-place Wizards (29-31) to a whopping 9 1/2 games. CNN would project that this race is over.

It also was the Magic's 22nd victory on the road this season -- one short of tying the all-time franchise record of 23 set in 1995-96. Orlando has the most road victories in the East and is tied with the L.A. Lakers for the most out-of-town wins this season.

If the playoff seedings stay the same, the Magic and Wizards -- the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, respectively -- would meet in the opening round.

But the Wizards might have much more firepower in a postseason matchup if forward Caron Butler (hip) and guard Gilbert Arenas (knee) are back at full strength.

"Look, they're very undermanned," Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It was a combination of them being undermanned and us playing extremely well.

"They'll be a totally different team [in a playoff scenario]. They get those two [Butler and Arenas] back with [Antawn] Jamison, they have three all-stars. It's a heckuva team. We know that. It would be an extremely difficult first-round matchup."

Butler is out indefinitely. Arenas has started practicing after undergoing surgery in late November. Both have a good shot at playing and rejoining Jamison if the Wizards make the playoffs.

Orlando started hot and stayed warm at Verizon Center. They put together a terrific offensive performance against a leaky Wizards' defense, which tried to double Turkoglu and paid for it.

The Magic shot 56.1 percent, moved the ball (27 assists) and led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter. They had just 11 turnovers and worked on the defensive end, led by power forward Rashard Lewis' tenacity.

All-star center Dwight Howard scored 20 points and added 11 rebounds, while Lewis and shooting guard Mo Evans added 17 points apiece. Turkoglu had 12 points, and point guard Jameer Nelson was solid, with nine points, 10 assists and just one turnover. All the starters shot at least 50 percent.

Carlos Arroyo had 11 points and six assists. But it was shooting guard Keith Bogans who provided the biggest surprise off the bench.

Playing with a strained abdominal muscle and in front of 30 family members and friends, Bogans hit 6-of-8 shots, including three 3-pointers, to finish with 17 points.

"I took some medicine and tried not to think about it," said Bogans, a D.C.-area native. "It was painful -- trust me. But it's always easy when you get easy baskets. It was one of those nights."

The Magic never trailed, jumping to leads of 10-2 and 36-20. Orlando led 59-44 at intermission and stretched the lead in the third. Howard hit a 12-foot bank-shot -- an indication of how good things were going -- and Evans made two straight baskets for a 71-50 cushion.

"We have to keep getting better. We're trying to make it work for a long time in this league," Nelson said. "Last year is over. Everyone wants to talk about last year, but we're a new team, with a new philosophy and a new style of play."


Brian Schmitz can be reached at bschmitz@orlandosentinel.com.

Related topic galleries: Orlando Magic, Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Antonio Daniels, Caron Butler, Washington Wizards

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