Magic-Bulls Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 08 2012 12:56AM

The Orlando Magic have a difficult upcoming schedule as they prepare to make a decision on superstar center Dwight Howard.

That challenging stretch of games begins on the road Thursday night against Derrick Rose and the league-best Chicago Bulls.

The next seven days figure to be interesting ones for Orlando, which takes on Chicago (33-8), Indiana, Miami and San Antonio over the next six days.

However, the biggest day for Magic fans will be next Thursday's NBA trading deadline when the team decides whether or not to trade the face of the franchise.

If the decision is made based on how the team is playing, this key stretch got off to a rough start this week. Orlando (25-15) suffered a 100-84 loss at NBA-worst Charlotte on Tuesday, blowing a 20-point lead en route to a stunning loss.

The Magic shot 38.8 percent and had 18 turnovers, scoring 13 points in a decisive fourth quarter.

Howard, who had 15 points and 17 rebounds, received little help. Ryan Anderson added 14 points and 11 boards but had just two points in the fourth quarter. He was the only other starter in double figures.

"Our guys are satisfied that we came in with the third-best record in the East and the fifth-best record in the league," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "They're satisfied with that. I don't think there's any push to be better or any push to be great. If there is, it doesn't show up in games."

Playing down to the level of competition has been an ongoing problem for the Magic. They scored 78 points in a loss at Detroit on January 2 and 67 in a defeat at New Orleans on Jan. 27. Both teams are among the league's worst.

Facing the Bulls isn't the ideal way for Van Gundy's club to bounce back from an ugly performance. Orlando has lost four in a row to Chicago, including a 97-83 defeat on Jan. 6. Howard had 28 points and 15 rebounds in that contest, but a late rally by the Magic fell short.

The Bulls had three players score 20 points in that game, including Rose, who had 21 along with 10 assists. He's averaged 26.5 points and 7.8 assists the last four meetings with the Magic.

The NBA's reigning MVP hit a long jumper at the buzzer to lift Chicago to 106-104 win at Milwaukee on Wednesday for its season-high eighth straight victory.

"It was like a kid, all the things that you dream about," Rose said. "It felt good. You're on the road, going against a team that's giving you their all and you hit a nice shot like that."

Rose finished with 30 points despite shooting 8 of 22. He also had 11 assists and eight rebounds. Joakim Noah led four other Bulls in double figures with 20 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Bulls played without Richard Hamilton, who suffered a shoulder injury against Indiana on Monday. He is day to day.

Rose made sure his absence wasn't felt. He had his second 30-point game in the last three and is averaging 26.3 points and 8.3 assists in six games since the All-Star break.

Thursday begins a six-game homestand for the Bulls, who are 15-2 at the United Center. They are giving up 84.6 points per game at home and will try for a better defensive effort after yielding more than 97 for the first time in 10 games Wednesday.

Chicago last won nine in a row to close the 2010-11 regular season.

Magic end Bulls' 8-game win streak

Posted Mar 09 2012 12:18AM

CHICAGO (AP) The Magic had to beat the best to overcome the sting of losing to the worst.

Dwight Howard had 29 points and 18 rebounds to lead Orlando to a 99-94 win over the Bulls on Thursday, snapping Chicago's eight-game winning streak.

The Magic bounced back from a 100-84 loss at Charlotte, beating the Bulls two nights after losing to the Bobcats, who sport a league-worst 5-32 record. Despite the loss, Chicago's 33-9 mark is tops in the Eastern Conference.

"We stepped up tonight and everybody played great," Howard said. "I think it was our defense that got us the lead early in the game. We forced a couple of turnovers and we were able to run and get easy buckets.

"We have to play that brand of basketball to compete for a championship. We can't fall back and have a game like Charlotte and expect to be in the same breath as Chicago and Miami."

Chicago twice overcame double-digit deficits and led 91-89 with 2:56 to play after Derrick Rose passed to Carlos Boozer for a jumper.

Orlando responded with an 8-1 run started by Jameer Nelson's lob to Howard for a vicious, two-hand dunk out of a timeout. Ryan Anderson hit a 3 and a pair of free throws in the decisive rally.

"There is some luck to it," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Towards the end, we had two guys laying on the ground and they don't get a basket. Our offensive rebounding down the stretch was big."

Boozer led the Bulls with 26 points. Rose added 17 points and nine assists, but shot just 6 for 22 from the field. The Bulls missed a number of layups and open 3-pointers down the stretch.

"We came out kind of sluggish, got ourselves into a hole and couldn't dig ourselves out," Rose said.

Designated sharpshooter Kyle Korver hit just 1 of 7 from long range, including a misfire from the corner after defender Jason Richardson fell down, leaving him unguarded.

"I thought at least three of them were in the bottom of the bucket," Korver said. "You've got one play where everybody falls down and it goes in and out. I need to come through on those."

Richardson scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers for the Magic. Orlando hit 11 3-pointers, most of them in the early going.

"We were really moving the ball well," Anderson said. "Moving it inside and out with Dwight. Dwight did a great job passing out of double teams."

The Magic jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter after a conventional three-point play finished by Howard capped an 11-point Orlando run. Orlando shot 15 for 20 and hit six 3-pointers in the opening period.

The Magic still led by 15 after Howard put in a lob from Hedo Turkoglu with 1:58 to go in the first half. Howard scored 19 points before the break.

"When you get that far in the hole, you can't win like that," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "That comes back on me. I have to get them ready to play. That hole should not have been there."

Korver scored eight straight Chicago points to keep the Bulls in the game, then the Bulls reeled off the last 10 points of the second quarter to gain the momentum heading into the break.

"Kyle taking those shots, we'll live with that all day," Bulls center Joakim Noah said. "Kyle getting an open look, there is no better offense than that in the whole NBA."

Luol Deng hit a wide-open 3 after an offensive rebound by Noah, cutting the Orlando lead to single digits for the first time since midway through the first quarter.

Nelson threw away a pass and Rose hit a running 3 as the half expired, drawing Chicago within 57-52.

In the third quarter, Boozer capped an 8-2 run with a short jumper that gave Chicago its first lead of the game. Orlando responded with a 13-4 run to end the quarter, the last six of its points coming on back-to-back Richardson 3-pointers.

"We tried to run them off their spots," Rose said. "But they're a team who doesn't care if you contest their 3s. They will shoot them anyway."

Orlando led by 10 early in the fourth quarter before Chicago tied the game with a nine-point run. Boozer scored eight points in the first three minutes of the quarter.

That set up the furious finish.

"Our guys gave up the lead and then hung in there and fought real hard," Van Gundy said. "It was a great win to beat them. The best team in the league."

NOTES: The Bulls played without guards Richard Hamilton (right shoulder contusion) and C.J. Watson (left ankle sprain). Hamilton has missed 25 of Chicago's 41 games this season because of injuries, while Watson sat out for a third straight game. No timetable was given for either player's return, though Thibodeau said Watson is "getting close."... Thursday's game was the first of a tough four-game stretch for Orlando leading into next Thursday's trade deadline. After playing the Bulls, the Magic have home games against Indiana and Miami, then a road game at San Antonio. . Richardson had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter after banging knees with Nelson and spraining his left ankle. He limped down the corridor after the game on his way to get an X-ray, which was negative.

Notebook: Magic 99, Bulls 94

Posted Thursday March 8, 2012 11:39PM

By Kent McDill, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: After losing to the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday, the Orlando Magic went into Chicago and beat the Bulls 99-94, ending the home team's eight-game winning streak. The Magic took an 18-point lead in the second quarter but the Bulls fought back and enjoyed two-point lead for just 55 seconds in the fourth quarter. Dwight Howard had a double-double by halftime and finished with 29 points and 18 rebounds for Orlando. Carlos Boozer finished with 26 points to lead the Bulls.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by 18 points early in the second quarter, the Bulls closed the half with an 18-5 run, getting 3-pointers from Kyle Korver, Luol Deng and Derrick Rose's buzzer-beater, to close within five points at halftime. The second half was tight until Ryan Anderson hit a 3-pointer to break a 91-91 tie with 1:27 remaining. The Bulls missed six straight shots before Boozer scored with just 4.4 seconds left.

QUOTABLE: "We took the loss (to Charlotte) hard. This was a big win. We wanted to show how good we are."
-- Orlando forward Anderson.

THE STAT: Against the best rebounding team in the league, Orlando won the board battle 49-40, including 17 offensive rebounds. The Magic had three offensive boards in the last 90 seconds of the game.

THE STAT II: The Magic shot 75 percent in the first quarter and made 6-of-8 3-pointers to build a 37-22 lead at the break.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by 18 points early in the second quarter, the Bulls closed the half with an 18-5 run, getting late 3-pointers from Korver, Deng and Rose's buzzer-beater, to close within five points at halftime.

INJURY UPDATE: C.J. Watson (ankle) and Rip Hamilton (shoulder) did not play for the Bulls, although Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said Watson is getting close to returning. Orlando's Jason Richardson suffered a left knee injury with two minutes left in the game.

HOT: Bulls backup forward Taj Gibson made six of seven shots for 14 points.

NOT: Bulls forward Deng, whose shooting has been suspect since suffering a wrist injury in February, was 1-for-9 from the field.

QUOTABLE II: "Kyle (Korver) had some wide open shots, his shot. I can live with that all day. He's a great shooter and had it on line. It doesn't go in. I can live with that.''
-- Thibodeau.

NOTABLE: Thursday's game was the start of a six-game homestand for the Bulls.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, vs. the Jazz Saturday, vs. the Knicks Monday, vs. the Heat Wednesday. For the Magic, vs. Pacers Sunday, vs. Heat Tuesday, @ Spurs Wednesday.

• Magic: Harper, Wafer
• Bulls: --

• Magic: Turkoglu
• Bulls: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 22127
• Duration: 2:27