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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – When the Orlando Magic responded to their
clinching of a playoff berth last week with two poor outings,
something had to give.
|  | | Orlando's Tracy McGrady drives the baseline around Tyrone Hill. |
Unfortunately for Magic coach Doc Rivers, it was his body, as
sickness forced him to miss a practice for the first time in his
pro career.
But Rivers was feeling hale and hearty Thursday night after the
Magic, behind Tracy McGrady's 31 points, beat the Philadelphia
76ers 101-77.
"We're back, if that means anything," said Rivers, who was out
with the flu. "I feel a lot better. It's amazing what a win will
do for your health."
"I think we kind of slipped away after we clinched our playoff
spot," McGrady said. "But our focus is back and we're back
playing Magic basketball."
The Magic remained a half-game behind Charlotte in the race for
the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Hornets beat
New Jersey 88-78 Thursday.
McGrady had 25 points in the opening half, including a
thunderous dunk over 76ers center Dikembe Mutumbo midway through
the first quarter that electrified the sellout crowd of 17,248 and
set the game's tone.
"I think everybody came out aggressively with a lot of
energy," said McGrady, who shot 10-for-18 from the field and
8-for-10 from the free-throw line. "That's what we stressed in our
pregame meeting, that we needed energy. We got that from
everybody."
Tyrone Hill's 16 points led Philadelphia, which suffered its
worst loss since a 25-point defeat to Houston on Feb. 7. Allen
Iverson, the league's leading scorer, was held to 12 points on
5-for-15 shooting.
The 76ers, who clinched the Eastern Conference's top seed
earlier this week, have lost two straight games after a stretch
that saw them win five of six.
"Maybe this was a good lesson for us," Philadelphia coach
Larry Brown said. "We've got a game Sunday, and then we've got to
get our 'A' game for the playoffs or all this winning the division
and conference won't mean anything."
The Magic broke open the game late in the second quarter,
outscoring Philadelphia 15-4 in the last 4:13 of the half. Dee
Brown had two 3-pointers in the run, the last coming with 3.5
seconds before intermission to give Orlando a 61-36 lead.
Brown scored 17 points, his best outing in three games since
coming off the injured list. He missed 75 games after tearing his
left quadriceps tendon during training camp.
"We're not a team that can just turn a switch on and off,"
Brown said. "We've got to play with energy the entire game. That's
what makes us tough. Our team is built the way we showed tonight."
The Magic shot 11-for-21 (52 percent) on 3-pointers, with Brown's
five leading the team. Philadelphia missed all 10 of its attempts
from beyond the arc, with Iverson misfiring on six.
Orlando had a 9-2 run early in the third quarter, opening a
32-point lead with 8:29 remaining in the period. The 76ers couldn't
close within less than 24 points, and the Magic eventually
stretched their advantage to 34 points with 8:34 left in the game.
Troy Hudson added 21 points and Bo Outlaw grabbed 14 rebounds
for Orlando.
Game notes
On the day that the NBA voted to allow any type of defense
next season, Philadelphia was whistled twice for illegal defense.
... The sellout was Orlando's fifth of the season and second in a
row. ... Philadelphia has lost 20 of 24 games in Orlando. The 76ers
are 16-32 overall to the Magic. ... Supermodel Tyra Banks and
tennis star Jim Courier were in attendance.
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NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Orlando Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 88
New Jersey 78
Milwaukee 115
Utah 93
Orlando 101
Philadelphia 77
Sacramento 107
San Antonio 105
Portland 100
Vancouver 87
LA Lakers 119
Minnesota 102
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