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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| BLAZERS | 21 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 83 |
| MAGIC | 19 | 20 | 26 | 27 | 92 |
Recap:
ORLANDO (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Orlando Magic were able to win on a night the shots weren't falling -- especially for Vince Carter.
Orlando's leading scorer shot 1-for-14 in a 92-83 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
"I figured by the fourth quarter they'd go in," said Carter, who got five of his nine points on free throws in the final 3:08. Unfortunately they didn't, so I said, hey, what the heck, get to the free-throw line.''
It didn't cost the Magic because the Blazers (16-12) had some shooting issues of their own, especially in the fourth quarter. After Brandon Roy's jumper tied it at 76-76, Portland missed nine straight shots and saw the game slip away quickly on an 11-0 Orlando (20-7) run.
Roy scored 33 points, more than twice as many as anyone else in the game, but the Blazers shot only 37 percent and established a new franchise low with only seven assists.
"I thought the lack of assists was due to us not making shots, as opposed to not moving the ball," said Portland coach Nate McMillan. "I thought we were a bit stagnant in the fourth quarter with moving the ball and didn't get he same ball movement as in the first three quarters. But again, we didn't make shots. We had open looks, but did not make the shots."
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was fine with the ugly win.
"You have to be able to win one of these game. We won one up in Boston earlier, we won one today," he said. "You have to be able at times to just win with your defense and your will. I've said this many times: Every team in this league will win when they have one of those great offensive nights.
"I think what really separates teams is when you can win when you're not having a good night and we didn't have one tonight . . . to win on those nights is fantastic."
In any case, Carter was off the hook even after his shooting percentage for the season fell to .402, the lowest of his career.
"I know there's not gonna be many 1-for-14s in him, so it's always good for Vince or for anybody that when you have one of those days, that your team gets a win and you can shake it off a lot easier and a lot quicker," Van Gundy said.
The Magic missed their first five shots (four of them by Carter) and turned the ball over three times, helping the Blazers grab an 8-0 lead, the biggest of the game until the Magic's big run in the fourth quarter.
Rashard Lewis scored seven straight points to wipe out out a 53-47 Portland lead in the third quarter, but the Magic didn't take the lead for keeps until Mickael Pietrus drilled a 3-pointer with 6:19 left.
Portland didn't get another field goal until Jeff Blake's 3-pointer in the final minute.
By then the Blazers had fallen behind by 12 points.
"They just started hitting shots and we missed shots," said Andre Miller, who finished with 16 for Portland. "There were one or two turnovers there, but they were a little bit more aggressive to the basket."
Led by Dwight Howard's 20 rebounds, the Magic had a huge 54-35 advantage that proved decisive.
"We turned the ball over too much tonight," Lewis said, "but we stuck with it on the defensive end, rebounded the ball and were able to keep ourselves in the game and then win it in the fourth quarter."
It was the fifth straight game in which Howard has rebounded above his league-leading average of 13.0.
Opening a four-game road trip, the Blazers played again without center Greg Oden, forwards Travis Outlaw and Nicolas Batum and guard Rudy Fernandez.
According to Roy, failure to get LaMarcus Aldridge involved in the offense was costly to the Blazers. Aldridge hit a long jumper early and then disappeared, finishing with three points and one rebound.
"They did a good job of fronting LaMarcus and helping," Roy said. "He's a big part of what we do. We could not get him going.
"I could tell we did not have many [assists] and usually I get more, but I felt like I had a lot of looks there. We have to get more movement and LaMarcus is a guy that guys get a lot of assists to because he does a lot of picking and popping. He runs the floor, but tonight they took him out of that and foul trouble hurt him."
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POSTGAME VIDEO:
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Preview:
(STATS) -- The Orlando Magic own one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, but they have struggled against teams above .500. They'll have several chances to put an end to that problem on their upcoming five-game homestand.
The Magic hope to bounce back from a blowout loss and string together some wins over quality opponents beginning Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Orlando (19-7) advanced to the NBA Finals last season but hasn't looked much like a team with championship aspirations at times this year.
In Thursday's 104-86 loss to Miami, the Magic fell behind 33-18 after one quarter and trailed by as much as 29 points.
"We need to start games with an energy and a focus and we just didn't do that," coach Stan Van Gundy said.
Dwight Howard carried the Magic with 17 points and 14 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double, but Rashard Lewis matched a season low with nine points and went 3 of 9 from the field.
Orlando has lost three of five with all those defeats coming against teams with winning records.
"The reality of the situation is that if you look at the standings right now we are 4-6 against teams that are over .500," Van Gundy said. "The reality is that if you want to talk about being a championship contender that can't be good enough for you."
Orlando would look more like a championship contender with a strong showing over the next two weeks.
After opening the homestand against Portland, the Magic host Utah, Houston, Boston and Milwaukee. The Trail Blazers (16-11), Jazz, Rockets and Celtics all currently have winning records.
Facing these teams in Orlando should be a big advantage for the Magic, who are 9-2 at Amway Arena this season.
The Blazers, who open a four-game road trip with this contest, have dropped six of seven away from Portland after starting the season 5-1 outside the Rose Garden.
Portland and Orlando split their two games last season with each team winning on the road.
The Blazers arrive in Orlando after rallying to beat Phoenix 105-102 on Thursday at home. Portland overcame a 15-point third-quarter deficit, thanks to the play of third-string point guard Jerryd Bayless.
With Andre Miller forced to the bench after being hit in the face with a forearm, Bayless stepped in and scored a career-high 29 points for the Blazers, who have won consecutive games after dropping six of eight. Bayless, a second-year pro from Arizona, scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including three free throws in the final 9 seconds.
With injuries to Nicolas Batum (shoulder), Travis Outlaw (left foot), Rudy Fernandez (sciatic pain) and Greg Oden (left kneecap), Bayless could be counted on for more performance like this.
"He's getting the opportunity to play and making the most of it,'' coach Nate McMillan said. "We know JB can put points on the board. With all the guys that we have out, we need him.''
Although Bayless had the hot hand Thursday, Portland's offense still goes through Brandon Roy.
The two-time All-Star finished with 27 points and eight rebounds against the Suns, and is averaging 26.0 points in his last seven games. In two games against the Magic last season, Roy averaged 28.5 points, his third-highest scoring average against any opponent in 2008-09.
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Live Baseline Blog:
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Game Notes:
Dec. 19 vs. Portland: Orlando is 18-22 all-time vs. Portland (9-11 at home, 9-11 on the road) during the regular season…The Magic were 1-1 last season against the Blazers…Orlando has won five of the last six and seven of the last nine meetings between the two clubs…The Magic had lost 11 straight matchups from Nov. 17, 1999-Nov. 24, 2004…Prior to that losing streak, Orlando had won 11 of the previous 12 matchups…Orlando has won three of the last four meetings at home and four of the last five outings at Portland…Assistant GM Dave Twardzik was a member of the 1977 NBA Championship team and has his #13 retired by the Blazers…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Portland.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. BLAZERS: 41 pts., Shaquille O’Neal (@ Orlando, 3-2-96)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 37 pts., Rasheed Wallace (@ Portland, 12-15-01; @ Orlando, 11-19-00)
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