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Wade scores 50, but Magic crush Heat

Feb 23, 2009 - 5:18 AM ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Dwyane Wade played the role of best leading man on Oscar day, but Dwight Howard had the best ensemble cast.

Wade lit up the scoreboard with a career-high 50 points but it was Howard who took home the win, collecting 32 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 122-99 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points, Rashard Lewis added 18 and Rafer Alston finished with 12 and nine assists in his first start for the Magic, who have won back-to-back games since the trade deadline.

"We were able to get some good looks early, and Rafer did a great job of getting things moving for us," Howard said. "He kept finding me and guys on the outside for a lot of the great looks we got."

Wade went 17-of-30 from the field and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line to come within six points of Glen Rice's franchise record.

"When Dwyane goes into the Hall of Fame, and you see his top games, we're going to fill up the entire screen," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who used to coach Wade in Miami. "When I coached Dwyane, I loved him. Now, he gives me fits."

Orlando set the tone in the first quarter, knocking down 13-of-20 shots to take a 39-24 lead after the first. Wade scored 16 points in the opening period, with Howard nearly matching him at 15.

"They came out with incredible energy and started early with good tempo," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It's that level of play that Orlando is at now that's impressive about them. They're much better than from the beginning of the season. They were ready tonight. Some open three's and hard play along the glass is what won them the game."

But while Howard cooled, everyone else on the Magic took over. Courtney Lee, Tony Battie and Anthony Johnson helped Orlando hold serve in the second quarter before Turkoglu and Lewis went to work after the half.

"The difference in the game was that they came out real aggressive in the first and kept rolling on," Wade said. "I got some good shots from 1-on-1s, but it still wasn't enough. We've got to stop getting crunched under the rim."

Miami never pulled closer than 11 points in the second half as the Magic stretched the lead to as much as 118-95 on J.J. Redick's 3-pointer with 2:02 left in the game.

While Alston performed well in his new role as Orlando's starting point guard, Heat newcomers Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon combined for 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting and six rebounds.

"Once we get (O'Neal) some more minutes in our system, then he should get a good rhythm," Wade said. "Playing against Dwight Howard is not easy. (Dwight) is very athletic and very tough."

Orlando hit 17-of-32 3-pointers and shot 55 percent (41-of-75) from the floor as seven players reached double figures in scoring.

"Ball movement gets contagious," Alston said. "I have seen the guys play and they have always been a team that moves the ball great, and it was great to get into that. We had a good tempo and pace early and were able to get some good looks."