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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- The offseason acquisitions of
Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill figured to give the Orlando Magic a
one-two punch.
|  | | Tracy McGrady struggled to beat double-teams in the first half, but scored 23 of his 27 points in the second to lead Orlando. |
But McGrady did enough on his own to give his new team a 101-91
victory Sunday over the Vancouver Grizzlies.
The Orlando guard continued to pay off on the $92 million
contract he received as a result of a sign-and-trade deal in the
offseason with Toronto. He scored 23 of his 27 points in the second
half.
The victory enabled the Magic to salvage the final game of a
West Coast road swing, which began with heightened expectations
brought on by the return of Hill after missing six weeks
rehabilitating a surgically repaired left ankle.
But Hill sat out his second straight. He is expected to seek a
second medical opinion on his status in Orlando on Monday.
McGrady scored 15 points in the third quarter on 6-of-8 shooting
from the floor, in addition to hitting all three free throw
attempts. However, to Orlando coach Doc Rivers, the key to
McGrady's game came earlier in the contest when he was able to set
up his teammates while facing a constant trapping defense by the
Grizzlies.
"I thought the key was when he went 0-for-4 in the first half
but had five assists," Rivers said. "It makes it very difficult
when you have a great player who likes to pass. He really does get
into it more when he's being double-teamed and guys are making
shots off his passes."
After road losses last week against Seattle, Portland and the
Los Angeles Clippers, the Magic also received a solid contribution
from the frontcourt combination of John Amaechi and Michael Doleac.
Amaechi had 18 points and Doleac 16.
Orlando relied heavily on the shooting of Amaechi in the early
going. The Magic forward, who started play averaging 10.7 points,
hit seven of his first eight field goals and had 14 first-quarter
points. Amaechi was especially effective from the outside, and his
ability to draw out the Vancouver defense on the perimeter also
gave Orlando a chance to establish an inside game.
But the Vancouver bench kept the Grizzlies in the contest early,
and they trailed 52-49 at the half. Rookie reserve Stromile Swift
scored nine first-half points on 3-of-5 shooting.
Vancouver starters Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Michael Dickerson
were not effective early. Abdur-Rahim hit on only one of seven from
the floor in the first half, but picked up nine rebounds.
Dickerson, hitting just 8-of-34 field goal attempts his previous
two outings, was 1-for-5 in the first half.
Darrell Armstrong also had 16 points for the Magic, but they
might have lost to the lowly Grizzlies had McGrady not stepped up.
Instead, Vancouver lost its sixth straight and 15th in 18 tries.
Mike Bibby scored 19 points for the Grizzlies, while Shareef
Abdur-Rahim was held to 12 points, hitting on one of only two shot
attempts in the fourth quarter when the game was still in doubt.
"Darrell's the leader on this team," insisted McGrady, who
added eight rebounds and as many assists in a bid for his first
triple-double with the Magic. "He's the heart and hustle on this
team. I'm trying to be a great floor general out there but it's
still a learning experience."
The Grizzlies went through a variety of players in an effort to
slow down McGrady, which didn't work to their advantage because of
his passing ability.
"Another tough one," said veteran Vancouver forward Grant
Long, who was also asked to guard McGrady in the second half. "But
I'll step up now and say that we have to get tired of coming in and
saying, 'Another tough one.' "
Game notes
Despite the losses in the previous three games of their
road swing, the Magic began play strong in two facets of the game.
Orlando was fourth in the league in offensive rebounding before
Sunday's game. The Magic defense have forced an average 19.7
opposition turnovers per contest, tops in the NBA. ... Orlando gets
its longest break of the schedule, not returning to action until
Thursday when it hosts Chicago.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Orlando Clubhouse
Vancouver Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 104
Toronto 101
Orlando 101
Vancouver 91
New York 100
Milwaukee 97
Dallas 99
Detroit 90
Sacramento 95
New Jersey 79
Washington 103
LA Clippers 94
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Tracy McGrady Official Site
Mike Bibby Official Site
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