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Magic go for team-best 10th straight win in New Orleans

Jan 12, 2011 - 4:31 PM (Sports Network) - The red-hot Orlando Magic shoot for a franchise-record 10th consecutive win tonight when they resume a five-game road trip in the Big Easy against the New Orleans Hornets.

The Magic took the opener of their trek in Dallas on Saturday when Dwight Howard finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds, as Orlando pulled away from the Mavericks in the fourth quarter en route to a 117-107 decision.

Jason Richardson added 20 points and Jameer Nelson went for 16 for Orlando, which outscored the hosts, 37-26, in the final stanza to extend its winning streak to nine, matching the team record set in 1994 and again in 2001. Hedo Turkoglu chipped in 13 points and a career-high 17 assists for the victors.

"I thought we did a good job fighting," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We really couldn't stop them for very long at any point in the game, but our offense came through in the second half."

Orlando, which is now 10-7 on the road this season, will also face Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Boston to finish its trip.

"We have just been talking about getting better and reaching our peak at the right time," Howard told the Magic's website. "We want to have momentum going into the playoffs. Right now, it's early. I'm glad that we're playing good basketball, but we've got to keep it up."

The Hornets, meanwhile, stopped a two-game skid in Denver on Sunday when Chris Paul scored 20 points and dished out six assists, as New Orleans took down the Nuggets, 96-87.

David West finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Hornets, who also halted a three-game slide at Denver. Trevor Ariza donated 12 points and seven rebounds.

"We did a great job at weathering the storm," Paul said. "I went out with five fouls; even before I went out they started making a run. Guys made big shots and big plays and, most of all, our defense is what won the game."

These two teams have split their home-and-home season series for five consecutive seasons.