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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Orlando kept going to Tracy McGrady and the
Magic's winning streak remained intact.
McGrady scored 14 of his 35 points in third quarter as the Magic
won their eighth straight game, beating the Houston Rockets 108-93
Friday night.
Darrell Armstrong added 20 points and nine assists for Orlando,
which can tie a franchise record for consecutive wins with a
victory over visiting New York on Sunday. The Magic won nine
straight during the 1994-95 season.
Cuttino Mobley had 31 points for the Rockets, who had their
four-game winning streak snapped. Hakeem Olajuwon finished with 16
points and 15 rebounds.
The Magic have beaten Houston in 12 straight regular-season
games. The Rockets last beat Orlando to complete a four-game sweep
in the 1995 NBA Finals.
"We're going to check the water next time, because we haven't
had a good game down here since '95," Houston coach Rudy
Tomjonovich said.
McGrady and Olajuwon each took seven shots in the opening
quarter, and each made five.
"I thought Tracy McGrady really came with it tonight," Orlando
coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought what he really did today that he
has not usually done, was he stayed on the post. He knew that was
his advantage and he took advantage of it."
The similarities between McGrady and Olajuwon ended after the
first quarter.
McGrady fired off eight shots in the second quarter and seven in
the third before resting most of the final period. He shot
16-for-24, with most of his scoring coming on a variety of
mid-range jumpers.
"Just got my spot on the block and seemed like I couldn't miss
tonight," McGrady said. "Yeah, I could've gotten 50 (points)
tonight but I wasn't trying to get it."
Olajuwon, meanwhile, took only four more shots, despite an
impressive first quarter.
Rivers said Olajuwon's lack of speed was hurting the Rockets'
defense.
"I thought they had to make a choice," Rivers said. "With
Olajuwon in, we were getting some run-outs with our big men. Maybe
that's what Rudy was thinking about."
During the Rockets' four-game winning streak, Olajuwon averaged
17 points on 57 percent shooting.
Orlando took control of the game with a 20-4 run early in the
third quarter. McGrady scored 10 points in the outburst and
punctuated the run with a 3-pointer from the right wing that gave
the Magic a 72-49 lead with 6:35 remaining in the quarter.
Mobley scored 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Rockets cut
the deficit to nine points with 5:13 remaining.
"I had to try something," said Mobley, who converted a
career-high 14 free throws. "I tried to get the ball out as fast
as I could."
But Armstrong scored six points in a 92-second span to keep the
Magic comfortably ahead.
The Magic ran away from a 32-all tie midway through the second
quarter, as McGrady scored six points in a 12-2 run. Orlando led
52-43 at halftime.
Houston shot 10-for-16 in the first quarter, but Orlando
converted eight turnovers into an 18-5 run and a nine-point lead
with 4:42 remaining.
Houston committed 12 of its 22 turnovers in the period.
"We forced all those turnovers, but they were shooting 67
percent after the first quarter and we were up by eight or nine,"
Rivers said. "So that told us if we didn't get a turnover, our
defense wasn't that good."
Armstrong and McGrady had 10 points in the opening period.
Game notes
Houston reserve guard-forward Walt Williams sprained his
right hand in the second quarter and did not return. ... The
Rockets entered the game with a 15-3 record against teams from the
Eastern Conference. ... Before the game, Houston activated center
Kelvin Cato and placed forward-center Jason Collier on the injured
list with quadriceps tendinitis. ... Houston's Matt Bullard (back
spasms) and Carlos Rogers (bronchitis) both missed the game. It was
the first time this season that Bullard has sat out. ... Injured
Orlando guard Dee Brown is less than a week away from returning to
full-contact practice, Rivers said. Brown has been on the injured
list all season after tearing his left quadriceps tendon during
training camp on Oct. 7.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Orlando Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 108
LA Clippers 93
LA Lakers 99
Charlotte 94
New York 114
New Jersey 104
Orlando 108
Houston 93
San Antonio 91
Minnesota 85
Vancouver 92
Golden State 79
Sacramento 117
Denver 84
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