The Magic had a pathetic shooting game as they only hit 34.9% from the floor as a team and that’s why they lost this game.  Dwight Howard had a great game with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists.  Hedo Turkoglu also had a solid game with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Magic fell to 22-17 on the season with this loss.  http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270116003

Keith Bogans will get more playing time due to Trevor Ariza’s injury.  He should be able to produce well with the extra minutes as he was playing well with his limited playing time to date.  He has played in 28 games and has averaged 14.1 minutes, 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game this season.  He also has hit 19 of 41 three-pointers (46.3%) which should help the Magic stretch out the defense when he’s on the court.

The Magic played poorly on defense and the Suns made them pay as they hit 53.1% of their shots as a team.  Jameer Nelson led the way for the Magic with 26 points.  Hedo Turkoglu also had a solid game with 18 points.

The Magic fell to 22-16 on the season with this loss.  http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270113021 

The Magic gave a good fight last night and they shot 50.7% as a team, but they fell just a little bit short.  Dwight Howard had another great game with 25 points and 10 rebounds.  Grant Hill also had a solid game with 20 points and 5 rebounds.  Hedo Turkoglu had a good game too with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Magic fell to 22-15 with this loss.  http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270112013

The extent of Trevor Ariza’s injury is now known.  He will be out 6-8 weeks with a grade 2 sprain of his MCL in his left knee.  Hopefully he won’t need surgery, but it’s a possibility.

Trevor Ariza sprained his MCL in his left knee last night and he will be out indefinately.  The Magic will miss the energy that Ariza has given them off the bench.  He was averaging 23.0 minutes, 8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season.  He also is a good shooter as he’s hit 53.2% of his shots from the floor this season.

The Magic dominated the second half outscoring the Warriors 49-29  and they held the Warriors to 36.8% shooting from the floor.  Dwight Howard had a spectacular game as he scored 30 points and grabbed 25 rebounds.  Keith Bogans led a good effort by the Magic bench with 16 points.

The Magic improved to 22-14 on the season with this win.  http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270110009

The Magic are playing great basketball right now and are sitting in first place in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference with a 21-14 record.  They lead the Washington Wizards by 1 game.  The Magic have been winning with their defense as they only allow 91.7 points per game which is #3 in the NBA.  They also are holding their opponents to 43.2% shooting from the floor which is #2 in the league.  Dwight Howard is having a great season as he’s averaging 17.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.  Grant Hill has stayed healthy for the most part as he’s scored 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Jameer Nelson is also playing well as he’s averaged 13.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  The Magic will only go as far as their bench takes them as Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Trevor Ariza and Darko Milicic have all played real well this season.  The Magic’s depth will really pay off at playoff time.

The Magic overcame their own terrible shooting (37.5% from the floor) by playing a great defensive game.  The Magic held the Celtics to 31.5% shooting from the floor and they outrebounded the Celtics 51-31.  Grant Hill led the way for the Magic with 21 points and 8 rebounds.  Dwight Howard a good game inside with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Magic improved to 21-14 on the season with this win.  http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270107019

Trevor Ariza has really been producing off the bench for the Magic.  In his last five games, Ariza has hit 59.1% of his shots from the floor and has averaged 13.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  Ariza also has done a great job filling in for Grant Hill when he’s dinged up.  It’s only a matter of time until Ariza is a starting player for the Magic.