The Orlando Magic dominated the Los Angeles Clippers to win their sixth consecutive game. Dwight Howard led the way with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. You can see a few of his highlights here.
Dan Savage and Josh Cohen provided postgame analysis.
"Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard erupted for 22 points and 15 rebounds, while committing zero fouls as Orlando hit 11 3-pointers and all 12 of its free throws in a 113-87 blowout triumph over the Clippers.“I liked the way we approached the game coming off a big win the other night,” Van Gundy explained in his postgame press conference. “There was no let down especially in the second half.”"
You can read that story here.
Brian Schmitz writes that the Magic were very efficient in their victory and discusses how they were able to get a lead and put the Clippers away.
"“We did a good job of putting them away,” Rashard Lewis said. “It shows the maturity that this team is getting to.”The Magic looked very much like a team preparing for the postseason. They have been guilty of squandering big leads.“Stan told us [Tuesday], ‘What’s going to happen in the playoffs if we’re up 2-0 or 3-1? Are we going to give a game away?’ƒ|” J.J. Redick said. “It’s important to build habits.”Orlando’s starters got an early night off and didn’t play more than 33 minutes."
You can find that story here.
The Magic, who have had some turnover issues, turned it over just eight times.
"Three starters — Matt Barnes, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson — didn’t lose the ball at all. Rashard Lewis had one turnover, and Dwight Howard had four turnovers.“If we take care of the ball, we have good enough offensive players to get good shots for themselves and for others,” said Nelson, who finished with eight assists. “We’ve just got to continue to work on that and value the ball.”"
Josh Robbins has that story here.
Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk recaps the game.
"The Clippers fell victim to one of the classic blunders — the most famous of which is “never get involved in a land war in Asia” — but only slightly less well-known is this: Never get into a jump shooting contest with the Orlando Magic.The Magic took away the Clippers penetration (it helped to have Eric Gordon out, and passive Baron Davis came off the bench for LA). So the Clippers had to settle for contested jump shots. The Clippers could not stop the Magic’s penetration, which led to drive and dish for open outside jumpers for Orlando. And there you have your blowout."
You can find that story here.
Former Magic and current Clippers Forward Drew Gooden would be interested in a return to Orlando.
"“Out of all the arenas, I could close my eyes and walk in here and just smell and tell you that I’m in Orlando, because this arena has a certain type of atmosphere to it and a certain type of aroma,” Gooden said.Gooden, 28, will be a free agent after this season, and he said he hopes to sign next summer with a team that will allow him to put down some roots. Gooden was traded twice before this year’s trade deadline, first from Dallas to Washington and then from Washington to the Clippers without ever playing for the Wizards. Gooden has now played for six different teams since the beginning of the 2007-08 season.Gooden indicated he would be interested in returning to the Magic. “Who knows where I’ll be next time?” he said. “I may still be here [with the Clippers] or somewhere else or may be back with one of my old teams. You never know what could happen.”"
You can find that and other Magic notes here.
Chris Sesno comments on Dwight Howard’s newest shoes.
"But Howard also brought something new to the court: A pair of adidas TS Supernatural Commanders, a players-edition with a Superman colorway that stuck out more than Dwight’s 15 points and 16 boards.The yellow straps, red collar, and blue airsole are fashioned to resemble Superman’s costume, yet these shoes ditch the clown look of the previous Superman Commander adidas designed for Howard during the 2009 All-Star weekend.Those shoes didn’t get the best reception among the sneakerhead community, but the kicks Howard rocked on Sunday replaced the bright perforated blue with a black speckled vamp that makes the design more subtle, even with the flashy straps and colorway."
You can find that story here.
Tim Povtak also writes about a potential Gooden return and says another player may be interested.
"“I would love to come back and play in Orlando. I wanted to come back last summer,” Gooden said. “But we’ll just have to see what happens. This is a business, and nothing is guaranteed.”The Magic considered signing Gooden last summer, but they opted for free agent Brandon Bass of Dallas instead. Gooden then signed a one-year contract with Dallas, which sent him last month to Washington, which traded him to the Clippers.The Magic actually will have interest in signing Blake this summer as they search for another point guard to play behind starter Jameer Nelson. The Magic have used both journeymen Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson in the role this season, but both are in the final year of their contracts and already slowing down. Blake, 30, has shown an ability to play effectively as either a starter or reserve in his career.The Magic, well over the salary cap, will have only a salary cap exception to offer once the free agency period begins July 1.“I have a lot of respect for the Magic and their coach (Stan Van Gundy),” Blake said. “But I’m not going to worry about that until this summer. I take pride in being able to give a team what it needs in any role.”"
You can find that story here.
Scottie Pippen questioned Dwight Howard’s ability to dominate. George Diaz wonders if he’s right.
"“He’s a very special player but I don’t think he’s going to win a championship until he gets another superstar to play alongside of him,” Pippen said recently while visiting Orlando. “A guy that’s very consistent and has that drive, that’s what it’s going to take. I don’t think that he can carry a team to a championship.”“He’s not that great of a scorer, he’s not a good shooter and he’s not a good foul shooter. So in the latter parts of the game, as big as he is and as much athleticism as he has, that becomes very small when the game gets into crunch time. He’s not the type of player that can dominate a game in the fourth quarter.”"
You can find that story here.
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed, add him on Twitter to follow him daily and you can get the HTD app here).