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Lewis helps Magic pound his former team

Nov 14, 2007 - 4:48 AM ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- After being down early, Rashard Lewis turned on the juice against his former club.

Lewis scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Orlando Magic crushed the winless Seattle SuperSonics, 103-76, on Tuesday.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 17 points and Dwight Howard added 13 and 12 rebounds for Orlando (6-2), which is off to its best start since the 1998-99 squad started 9-2.

"I thought we came with a great defensive mentality, especially after the first four minutes," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I was really happy with our defensive intensity and on the boards. It got us the win."

Meanwhile, Seattle, which had an early 8-1 lead, dropped to a franchise-worst 0-8 to begin 2007-08.

"Some guys have to learn from (the loss)," SuperSonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "Some of the younger players need to learn that, if you don't bring it every night in this league, then (an embarrassing loss) can happen any time."

The 6-10 Lewis was the catalyst for the Orlando comeback, scoring 12 points in the first period, as the Magic used a 24-4 run to finish the first quarter with a 28-14 lead.

The nine-year veteran, who signed a franchise-record six-year, $118 million contract over the summer, spent his first eight seasons with Seattle before the club decided it wanted to rebuild by trading Lewis and All-Star Ray Allen.

"The main thing was that we wanted to win the game, more than anything," Lewis said. "But I didn't want to lose to a team I used to play for."

Lewis, who connected on 9-of-15 from the floor and was facing Seattle for the first time, had 19 points as the Magic cruised to a 49-36 halftime lead. Seattle's all-time leader in 3-pointers made (973) also drilled 4-of-8 from the arc.

"Everything plays into the motivation knowing I used to played for that team for a long time," Lewis added when asked if he was motivated for this game because the Sonics did not offer him a contract. "And not being back with them, also, makes you anxious for the teams you want to play against next season. That's definitely one of those teams."

Howard, who had a very quiet first half with just one point and five rebounds, came alive to start the third quarter. The All-Star scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds during the quarter as the Magic looked to establish his presence inside early in the period.

That helped spread Seattle's defense and created open looks for Lewis, Turkoglu and guard Keith Bogans. The trio combined to make five 3-pointers during the third as the Magic scored 36 points to put the game out of reach.

"Everybody has to double-team Dwight," Bogans said. "If it weren't for Dwight, Turk and Rashard, I wouldn't get the (open) shots I get. They draw so much attention."

Bogans chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds and Trevor Ariza added 11 and 11 for Orlando, which shot 46 percent (38-of-82) from the field.

Nick Collison scored 15 points for Seattle, which shot just 34 percent (33-of-96) and was outrebounded, 58-44.

Rookies Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, essentially the two players replacing Lewis and Allen in the Sonics' lineup, combined for 22 points.

"The Magic made some big-time baskets," said Durant, who connected on just 3-of-13 from the field and missed all three attempts from the arc. "Rashard Lewis and Keith Bogans hit some big time threes. The game just got away from us."