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Turkoglu, Magic keep Wizards winless

Nov 4, 2007 - 2:23 AM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Hedo Turkoglu scored 25 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 94-82 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

Rashard Lewis scored 18 points and Dwight Howard added 17 and 15 rebounds as the Magic rebounded from a 116-92 home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Howard also blocked three shots.

Turkoglu shot 8-of-16 and also had eight assists, seven rebounds and two assists for Orlando, which outscored Washington, 30-15, in the final quarter.

"I know the ball is going to come to me," said Turkoglu, who had seven assists in the first half. "I should've had the first triple-double of my career. If somebody would have told me that I had seven rebounds and just needed two assists ...

"That's what's great about this team. The way we're playing together and helping each other. Sometimes it's just my role to drive and kick. I know the ball is going to come to me. Even tonight, I took 16 shots just by being patient."

Caron Butler scored 23 points for the cold-shooting Wizards, who opened the season with three consecutive losses for the first time in 15 years.

"It's the first time in 15 years we're 0-3," said Gilbert Arenas, whose 10 points marked the first time this season he has scored less than 20 in a game. "It happens. We just haven't found a rhythm. The only player playing consistently is Brendan (Haywood). Once everybody gets on his page, we'll be fine."

Haywood matched his career-high 16 rebounds and added 10 points to give him a double-double in three consecutive games for the first time in his seven-year career.

"He has been terrific," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said of Haywood, who posted the numbers against the likes of Kevin Garnett and Howard. "We told him tonight that this was going to be the ultimate challenge. This was his third game in four nights against dominating centers. He has really responded. He can play on a high level like that."

Howard, who registered his third double-double in as many games, was impressed with Haywood.

"He's playing great basketball right now and giving his team a lot of energy," Howard said. "He's very long around the basket. We'll be ready the next time we play these guys and I'll be more pumped up to keep him off the glass because he kicked my butt for four quarters on rebounds and I can't have that."

Butler had 12 points in the third quarter to help Washington take a 67-64 lead into the final 12 minutes. But the Wizards shot only 5-for-25 from the field in the fourth quarter. Magic point guard Jameer Nelson, who also finished with 17 points, drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Magic a 76-71 lead with 7:20 remaining before Turkoglu took over.

"The pick-and-roll with Turkoglu and Dwight was really effective for us so we stayed with that pretty much exclusively in the second half," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "So Rashard didn't get nearly as many opportunites. I only remember calling one play for him down the stretch.

"But he carried us in the first half. We would not have not had the lead at halftime if it were not for him. We've got three guys we can go to and they kind of share things, but I'm sure it's a little tough for scorers at times when the ball's not coming there way."

Turkoglu scored nine straight points, including a 3-pointer to push the margin to 86-77 with 2:43 left to play.

"I thought he was fabulous," Van Gundy said.

Arenas' jumper with 46.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter capped a 10-4 run and gave the Wizards a 65-64 lead, their first since midway through the second quarter. Arenas finished with 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range.

"It is weird," Arenas said. "We're a jump-shooting team. The way our shooting slumps are, it's nothing I've ever seen before. I think myself, personally, I'm 1-for-20 from the 3-point line. I don't know how to answer that one. I can practice, but I can't transfer it to the game."

Arenas also had difficulty with his first back-to-back games following offseason knee surgery.

"I have a lot of fluid in there right now from playing yesterday," he said. "I didn't have enough time. With the cold building and fluid in my knee, it was hard to get it loose.

"It will be fine Thursday. It's my first back-to-back. I know what I've got to do now."

Lewis converted back-to-back 3-pointers that capped a 12-4 run and gave Orlando a 50-42 halftime lead. Lewis led all scorers at the break with 18 points but did not score in the second half.

Antawn Jamison scored seven straight points for Washington, capped by a jumper that gave the Wizards a 29-24 lead with 8:38 remaining in the second quarter. He finished with 20 points.

Combined with their NBA-worst 0-for-16 shooting on 3-pointers Friday night in Boston, the Wizards extended the streak to 0-for-18 before Roger Mason Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer that pulled Washington within 19-18 with 7.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Following back-to-back dunks by Haywood, Butler pulled the Wizards to 17-15 on his first bucket of the game with 1:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Keith Bogans, a graduate of nearby DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, scored six points and Lewis added four as the Magic took an early 13-6 lead.