Recap: Orlando vs. Milwaukee
Sports Network | November 24, 2008
Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - Rashard Lewis had 22 points, including two clutch free throws down the stretch, as Orlando edged Milwaukee, 108-101.
Dwight Howard added 24 points and game-bests of 13 rebounds and six blocks for the Magic, who have won six of their last seven contests. Hedo Turkoglu ended with 22 points, nine boards and a pair of assists.
Richard Jefferson chipped in a game-high 25 points for the Bucks, who have dropped four of their last six contests overall. Charlie Villanueva and Tyronn Lue gave 17 and 14 points, respectively.
Both teams battled the injury bug as Orlando's Jameer Nelson left late in the second quarter with a strained right groin and Andrew Bogut departed with 9:12 left in the third stanza. Neither returned, and Nelson is listed as day-to-day while Bogut is still having tests done.
A pair of Luc Mbah a Moute free throws, a Ramon Sessions jumper and a Lue three-ball brought the Bucks within 94-88 with about 5 1/2 minutes left in the game.
Moments later, Howard went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe and Milwaukee answered with a Mbah a Moute layup, making it 95-90.
The Magic held the Bucks scoreless for the next three-plus minutes, en route to a 102-90 seemingly insurmountable lead with 1:55 left in the game.
However, Milwaukee responded with a 10-1 run that made it a one-possession game, 103-100, with 23 seconds left. Jefferson had five points, Villanueva had two and Mbah a Moute ended with three on the burst.
The Bucks though, still down by three, were forced to foul and Lewis hit both shots from the line to make it 106-101 with 10.6 ticks left, which all but sealed the deal.
Turkoglu drained a three-pointer as time expired in the first stanza to give the Magic a 33-23 lead.
"Right in the beginning of the game we were just too soft getting back," said Milwaukee head coach Scott Skiles. "It's been an issue, our start of game defense you know has not been good most of the year."
Orlando found itself with a 58-47 advantage at the break.
A J.J. Redick three-pointer gave the Magic a 14-point lead late in the third and the Bucks never pulled within seven points, before the home team held its 11-point difference, 85-74, heading into the final 12 minutes of play.
"I feel like I'm starting to get into a rhythm and understanding where (the minutes) are going to be," said Redick. "I just got to be there, hunting shots and looking to play off people."
The Bucks were 4-of-13 from three-point range, while the Magic were 8-for-22 from downtown...Both teams had 40 boards...Orlando had 18 turnovers to Milwaukee's 14...The Magic are 6-3 at home this season...Orlando went 2-1 against the Bucks last season and has won five of six and seven of the last nine meetings...Milwaukee has dropped six straight on the road in this series. Its last win at Orlando was a 111-105 victory on December 29, 2004.
