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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Doc Rivers is growing weary of hearing
that the Orlando Magic are turning into a pleasant surprise in what
many people said would be a mediocre season at best.
|  | | Elden Campbell tries to retrieve the ball knocked away from him by Orlando's Michael Doleac. |
"These guys aren't surprising me," Rivers, Orlando's
first-year coach, said after the Magic extended their longest
winning streak of the season to five games with a 110-106 victory
over Charlotte on Thursday night.
Monty Williams scored seven of Orlando's final 10 points and finished with 15 to help the Magic improve to four games over the
.500 mark.
"The worst thing now is that we have three days off," Rivers
said. "We're on a roll and I wish we could play again tomorrow."
Darrell Armstrong was 6-of-7 on 3-point attempts and finished with 28 points as Orlando broke a five-game losing skid in
Charlotte dating to April 1996. Ben Wallace had career-highs of 15 rebounds and six blocks to help end the Hornets' six-game winning
streak at the Charlotte Coliseum.
"Nobody's looking for us to win, period, so we're coming on the
road with an attitude," Wallace said. "This is a big lift."
Orlando sealed the victory by making five of six foul shots in
the final 75 seconds of a game in which neither team led by more
than seven points in the last 35 minutes.
The Hornets lost their second in a row after winning eight
straight.
It was Charlotte's first game without Eddie Jones, the Hornets' scoring leader and NBA steals leader, who is expected to miss up to
six weeks with a torn elbow ligament.
Eddie Robinson, who replaced Jones in the starting lineup, had 19 points, but just two of those came in the fourth quarter, when
Jones is usually at his best.
Robinson, a rookie, also was assigned to guard Williams, a
fifth-year pro, late in the game. The matchup made it an easy
decision for Rivers to have his players feed Williams the ball.
"The one thing Monty is a smart veteran," Rivers said. "I
just looked at averages -- veteran against a rookie. I think that's
what you try to attack. I think that's what they would have done."
Charlotte coach Paul Silas said the experience should help
Robinson in the weeks ahead while Jones continues his
rehabilitation.
"Eddie is learning," Silas said. "He played a lot of minutes
and handled it well. It was good for him. He will know how to play
in pressure situations."
Derrick Coleman had 20 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte, and Bobby Phills added 17 points before fouling out.
"There's nothing really positive we should take from this," Phills said. "We should not have lost to this team."
There were five lead changes and two ties in the final eight
minutes before Williams banked in a one-handed flip as he was
falling to the floor after being fouled by Ricky Davis. Williams
hit the free throw to put the Magic up 103-100, then added a
reverse layup to make it 105-100 with 2:01 remaining.
The closest the Hornets got the rest of the way was two points,
the last time at 107-105 on Coleman's layup at the 32-second mark.
Game notes
Orlando bolted to a 33-14 lead, but the Hornets needed less
than five minutes to erase it with a 21-2 run. Charlotte forced
five turnovers in the surge, which tied it at 35-all early in the
second quarter. ... One night after scoring a career-high 22 points
against Cleveland, Orlando's Chucky Atkins was held to four on 1-for-5 field-goal shooting. ... Charlotte had won three in a row
and six of eight against the Magic.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Orlando Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
Hornets lose Jones 3-6 weeks with torn elbow ligament
RECAPS
Atlanta 108
Cleveland 90
Orlando 110
Charlotte 106
New Jersey 99
Philadelphia 94
Minnesota 109
Seattle 102
Houston 105
Washington 89
Milwaukee 94
San Antonio 91
Dallas 111
Phoenix 110
Portland 111
Golden State 91
Vancouver 93
Denver 91
LA Clippers 97
Sacramento 91
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