Final
for this game
Howard leads Magic past Lakers
Jan 21, 2012 - 4:22 AM Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - Dwight Howard had 21 points and 23 rebounds, leading the Magic to a 92-80 win over the Lakers on Friday.
Jameer Nelson added 17 points and nine assists for the Magic, winners of six of their last seven. J.J. Redick added 15 points, while Ryan Anderson finished with 13 and eight boards.
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting for LA, which was coming off of Thursday's double-digit loss to the Heat. Pau Gasol added 13 points, Derek Fisher chipped in 12 and Andrew Bynum had 10 and 12 boards. The Lakers are just 1-6 as the guests this season.
The Lakers, who have failed to score 100 points in 10 straight games, appeared sluggish from the opening tip on Friday. They managed just 10 points in the first quarter and fell behind by as many as 23 in the second before entering the half down 48-31.
LA whittled the deficit to 10 twice in the third, with the latest coming on a pair of Bryant free throws with 2 1/2 minutes left. The Magic, though, closed the quarter on a 6-1 run, capped by Howard's hook shot, to make it 67-52 entering the final quarter.
Lakers rookie Darius Morris opened the fourth with a trey and a layup to make it 67-55, but the Magic advantage swooned to 14 minutes later on a Howard alley-oop.
Bynum and Orlando's Glen Davis then traded free throws before Bryant and Jason Kapono hit back-to-back threes to make it an eight-point game -- marking the closest LA had been since the opening quarter.
Bryant nearly came up with a steal on Orlando's ensuing possession, but instead knocked the ball out of bounds. He received a technical foul for arguing the call and the Magic took advantage, as Nelson hit the resulting free throw and Jason Richardson slammed the ball home out of an inbounds play to make it 77-66. Anderson scored the game's next five points on a corner three and dunk and the Magic led by double-digits the rest of the way.
Game Notes
Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu sat out his second straight game with back spasms...Richardson had missed the last three games with a bone bruise in his left knee...The Magic have downed the Lakers four straight times during the regular season in Central Florida. LA, however, did win the final two games of the 2009 NBA Finals in Orlando en route to the first of two straight NBA titles.
- LOS ANGELES: 80
ORLANDO: 92
Final
Jan 20 10:35 PM - LOS ANGELES: 52
ORLANDO: 67
End of 3rd
Jan 20 9:59 PM - LOS ANGELES: 31
ORLANDO: 48
Halftime
Jan 20 9:11 PM - LOS ANGELES: 10
ORLANDO: 22
End of 1st
Jan 20 8:36 PM - LOS ANGELES: 0
ORLANDO: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Jan 20 8:11 PM
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