Nets cut down Magic's bid for second seed
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With less than a week left in what had been a great season, the Orlando Magic are heading in the wrong direction, and that's not all that is wrong.
The Magic not only saw their bid for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference end with a 103-93 loss to the New Jersey Nets last night, they also endured the sight of Hedo Turkoglu being helped off the court in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle.
Coach Stan Van Gundy did not know the extent of the injury, but it has to be a concern with his team playing poorly and knowing that fellow forward Rashard Lewis is battling tendinitis in his right knee.
"It was terrible," Van Gundy said after the Magic (58-22) lost their second straight and third in four. "We're playing with no energy and lack of defensive commitment. When you do that you're going to get killed and we got dominated tonight."
Vince Carter led the way for New Jersey with 27 points and nine assists, but this also was a Nets' starting lineup that featured three rookies - center Brook Lopez, forward Ryan Anderson, and guard Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Keyon Dooling added 12 points and 10 assists for the Nets, who played without All-Star guard Devin Harris (shoulder). Lopez added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. Douglas-Roberts had 10 points and Anderson 9.
Pacers 106, Pistons 102 - Danny Granger scored 24 points and Indiana stalled Detroit's bid for a higher playoff seed with a victory in Indianapolis.
Indiana led by 12 early in the final quarter, but Detroit rallied and took a 102-101 lead on a basket by Richard Hamilton with 56 seconds to go. The Pacers went back in front on a spinning layup by Jarrett Jack and iced the game with one free throw by Troy Murphy with 16 seconds left and two foul shots by Granger with five seconds left.
Bulls 113, Bobcats 106 - Ben Gordon scored 39 points, John Salmons finished with 19 after a slow start, and host Chicago hit the .500 mark for the first time since mid-November.
Warriors 118, Jazz 108 - C.J. Watson scored a career-high 38 points, Robert Kurz also had a career-best 21, and Golden State used only seven players while beating Utah in Salt Lake City.
Trail Blazers 87, Clippers 72 - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points, Joel Przybilla added 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Portland won in Los Angeles to tie for third place in the West.
Suns 110, Timberwolves 97 - Two games after Phoenix was eliminated from playoff contention, Grant Hill scored 19 points in 23 minutes to lead the visitors over Minnesota.
Bucks 115, Thunder 98 - Richard Jefferson tied a season high with 35 points and host Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over Oklahoma City.
