Magic 102, Cavaliers 94
Dwight Howard piled up 19 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocks as the Orlando Magic held on for a 102-94 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
Hedo Turkoglu chipped in 18 points and seven boards and Ryan Anderson collected 17 and eight for the Magic, who have won back-to-back games to wipe away the sting of a four-game slide.
Cleveland trailed 72-53 heading into the final frame but has developed a habit of falling into big holes and then trying to climb out with strong fourth quarters. Friday was no different, as the Cavaliers went on a tear in the final 12 minutes and cut it all the way down to 97-92 on Alonzo Gee‘s jumper with 1:47 left.
Turkoglu hit a jumper and Howard connected on three of four free throws in the final 1:07 to close out the victory.
Orlando dominated the middle part of the game, outscoring the Cavaliers 54-36 in the second and third quarters. Jason Richardson, Anderson and Turkoglu each hit a 3-pointer during a 14-4 burst late in the second quarter that stretched the lead to double digits.
Gee finished with 20 points off the bench and Antawn Jamison recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland.