Howard’s 20-20 Effort Boosts Magic To 2nd Round, Beat Raptors 102-92

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA PLAYOFFS

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I guess it wasn’t meant to be for the Toronto Raptors as on Monday, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard had probably his best game of this best-of-seven series as he scored 21 points and 21 rebounds.? His effort led Orlando to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating Toronto 102-92 at Amway Arena.? The Magic will face the winner of the Detroit-Philadelphia series, which is currently tied 2-2.

The Magic looked good early on, taking a 10-2 lead; however, Toronto’s Jose Calderon sparked a 10-4 Raptors run with 2 treys to close the quarter up 26-22.? Orlando got to within 44-43 as Toronto went 2:20 without scoring, but the Raptors’ T.J. Ford scored 6 straight points on 2 jumpers and a pair of free throws to keep the Raptors ahead 50-49 going into the third quarter.? During the third quarter, Toronto’s Chris Bosh was whistled for a technical foul; as a result, Orlando’s Keyon Dooling drained the free throw, giving the Magic a 73-66 cushion with just under a minute to go in the period and they would keep that advantage until midway through the fourth quarter.?

The Raptors’ Carlos Delfino hit a jumper and Bosh made 2 free throws and a jump hook, drawing Toronto to within 84-82; Orlando would respond as Keith Bogans and Jameer Nelson both hit a 3-pointer while Howard added a layup, giving the Magic would increase their lead to 92-82 – enough to coast the rest of the way.? Orlando was led by the aforementioned Howard with 21 points, 21 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks while Nelson scored 19 with a rebound, 3 assists and a steal; Rashard Lewis added 18 with 13 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal while Hedo Turkoglu nearly recorded a triple-double, chipping in with 12 along with 8 rebounds and 9 assists.? Toronto was led by Bosh with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while Ford and Delfino scored 14 apiece – with Ford grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists and stealing twice while Delfino grabbed 7 rebounds, doled out 2 assists and had 2 steals.??

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