Magic 96, Bobcats 89
Dwight Howard had 25 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 96-89 victory over the visiting Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday for their seventh straight win.
Orlando defeated Charlotte for the 10th straight time while the Bobcats have lost eight of their last nine games.
Howard pushed around a smaller Charlotte frontcourt, and added four blocks to his stat line.
Ryan Anderson hit a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Magic ahead by five points with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter. Hedo Turkoglu stole the ball on the ensuing possession and was fouled, and knocked down both free throws to secure the win. Turkoglu and Anderson scored 15 and 13 points, respectively.
The Bobcats’ new backcourt duo of D.J. Augustin and Kemba Walker turned up the intensity, constantly pushing the tempo and attacking the paint. Walker finished with 15 points and six assists while Augustin added 13 and five. Gerald Henderson scored a team-high 22 points.
Orlando’s interior defense toughened up in the fourth quarter, holding Charlotte to only one field goal for more than five minutes down the stretch.
Von Wafer chipped in with 13 points off the bench for the Magic, while Bismack Biyombo led Bobcats reserves with 11.