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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Clippers were more concerned
about stopping Tracy McGrady than Grant Hill.
|  | | The Clippers keyed on Orlando's Tracy McGrady, who was held to 14 points and eight rebounds. |
Lamar Odom had 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists
Monday night as the Clippers snapped Orlando's four-game winning
streak with a 92-80 victory, spoiling Hill's return to the Magic
lineup after a 17-game absence.
"Even though Grant Hill is one of the best players in the
league, and a player that I look up to, you have to approach him
like any individual," Odom said. "With him missing so many games,
McGrady was the man we really wanted to focus on. With Grant, we
were willing to take the risk of his going off."
Hill, sidelined since Nov. 3 because of an injured ankle, played
25 minutes and led Orlando with 19 points. McGrady, who entered the
game as the league's seventh-leading scorer with a 25.7 average,
had just 14 points and eight rebounds after averaging 33 points in
his previous five games.
In his third game since scoring a career-high 40 points against
New Jersey, McGrady had just six in the first half against the
Clippers. He shot 3-for-11 and finished 7-for-23 from the field.
Hill was 7-for-14.
"We knew Hill would be a little rusty because he hadn't played
in over a month, so we didn't want to double him. But Tracy McGrady
-- that's another story," Jeff McGinnis said. "We had to send the
whole team when he had the ball. We wanted to frustrate him and
make him work real hard for his shots."
The victory was the third in 13 games for the Clippers, who
avoided a sweep on their just-concluded six-game road trip by
rallying from a 21-point deficit to beat Washington.
The Magic shot 0-for-11 over the final 5:26 of the third quarter
and lost to the Clippers for only the second time in 12 games.
Los Angeles trailed by as many as 10 points in the second
quarter but used an 11-2 spurt to narrow the deficit to 46-45 by
halftime. The Clippers pulled ahead at the end of the third on the
strength of a 16-1 run, highlighted by a pair of slam dunks by No.1
draft pick Darius Miles, off alley-oop feeds from Jeff McInnis and
Eric Piatkowski.
"I think we deserved to lose that game," Orlando coach Doc
Rivers said. "Even when we were up by 10, I called a timeout and
you could just see it coming. You can give them the warning that if
you let the Clippers hang around, they'll beat you. But tonight, it
meant nothing.
"When you have a team that's as young and athletic as the
Clippers are, you're going to lose if you don't play well. Should
we beat the Clippers? Absolutely -- but not playing like that."
Piatkowski, who had 15 points, capped the third-quarter rally
with a reverse layup after rebounding his own missed 18-footer. His
3-pointer ended a 14-5 run that extended the Clippers' lead to
86-66 with 5:20 to play.
The Magic closed to 11 with 3:03 left after a pair of 3-pointers
by Pat Garrity and one by rookie Mike Miller, but got no closer.
After playing in two of Orlando's first three games, Hill was
placed on the injured list to continue rehabilitation of his left
ankle, which was operated on in April. The Magic were 8-9 in Hill's
absence.
Hill, a seven-year veteran and five-time All-Star, played the
first seven minutes, blocking a shot by Odom and then hitting his
first two shots.
Hill returned with 8:14 left in the second quarter and scored
six points, including a 9-foot running jumper with 4:04 left in
the half that extended the Magic's five-point lead to 44-34. But he
missed a pair of easy layups in the final 1 1/2 minutes before
intermission.
"I'm just excited to be back and playing again," Hill said.
"Everything that's happened has happened, and now that I feel
good, I'm ready to help this team. I'm just looking forward. I
don't want to look back."
Game notes
The Clippers, who misfired on five dunk attempts in their
previous game, thought they had one with 5:53 left in the first
half. But Miles slammed the ball so forcefully that it popped back
out. ... Hill's return to the lineup ended a streak of 72
consecutive starts by John Amaechi that dated back to Jan. 1. It
was Orlando's ninth different starting lineup, already matching
last season's total. McGrady and Darrell Armstrong are the only
players to start all 21 games for the Magic. ... Armstrong broke
Penny Hardaway's club record by making his 107th consecutive start.
Armstrong also extended his club-record consecutive-game playing
streak to 153.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Orlando Clubhouse
LA Clippers Clubhouse
Magic activate Hill for game Monday against Clippers
RECAPS
Minnesota 96
Philadelphia 91
Phoenix 86
Chicago 80
San Antonio 91
Utah 83
Houston 82
Vancouver 75
LA Clippers 92
Orlando 80
 FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Tracy McGrady Official Site
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