Looking to make good on his promise of consistency, Vince Carter helped Orlando cruise to a 117 to 90 win over Golden State Wednesday night at the Amway Arena.
Forced to bring up Reggie Williams from the D-league – the NBA’s equivalent of the minors – the Warriors did a good job keeping pace with the Magic up until the half time break, but that was it.
Dressing the league minimum of eight players, Golden State was clearly undermanned and it took its toll later in the game.
Dwight Howard finished the night with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.
Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter scored 17 and 15 points, respectively, with Jameer Nelson right behind with 13 points and 4 assists.
Golden State tried their best to maintain a balanced momentum with CJ Watson scoring 18 points, Anthony Morrow dropping 16 points, and new addition Reggie Williams holding his own with 13 buckets – but it was all Magic this night.
Orlando headed into the second half up 19 points (64-45), and there was no turning back.
Carter started the second half off nicely with a jump shot that opened up a 9 point-run, forcing Golden State to call a time-out 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter. And the hole kept getting deeper.
At one point, this reporter felt like rumpelstiltskin, closing his eyes and waking to find Dwight Howard running the point, pushing the ball up court then dishing to Barnes for an easy dunk.
Before the fans knew it, the score was 109-81 and that was all they needed to see. The house began to empty with 5:25 left in the game and the fans were happy.
Our beloved Orlando Magic kept a tight grip on the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 playoff spot, leading Atlanta by two games.
Now its on to New Jersey to take on the Nets who are 6 and 54. Can anyone say deja-vu.
By Charles Montoya, Career Services International.
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Thanks for the article. Glad to see the sports section is taking off.