Slam Dunk Central

Earlier today, I wrote a piece titled, “Orlando Magic?s Dwight Howard - best center in NBA?”, stating why Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard could very well be the most dominant center in the NBA today. Tonight’s matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Seattle SuperSonics, also titled “The Dwight Howard Show”, may be more proof that Howard is the top center in the league. Howard dominated Seattle’s frontcourt as the Magic easily beat the Sonics 110-94 at Seattle.The game was dominated by Orlando almost from the opening tip, although Seattle had some moments in the first half; The Magic led at halftime 57-45. For most of the game, Seattle played tired, settling for jump shots and just watching Howard dominate the paint. But the Sonics rallied, while pulling to within 93-92 on a pair of free throws by Seattle swingman Wally Szczerbiak with 4:35 left in the game. But 3 Orlando free throws and a 3-pointer by Magic reserve guard Keith Bogans pushed the lead back to 7, and the Sonics couldn’t recover.

Howard led all Magic scorers with a career-high 39 points, with 16 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Hedo Turkoglu added 15 and 10 rebounds, while Bogans chipped in with 11. Rashard Lewis, a former Sonic, had a poor outing with 9 points on 3-of-19 shooting; however, he grabbed 10 boards. Seattle was led by rookie Kevin Durant with 22 points, while Szczerbiak added 20; Chris Wilcox recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 boards. Orlando (14-3), winners of 10 of their past 11, travels to Phoenix to take on the Suns on Friday. Seattle (2-14) continues their homestand when they host the Indiana Pacers, also on Friday.