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Wednesday, Feb. 28 9:00pm ET
Magic proving the team is more than just McGrady

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Orlando Magic are more than just Tracy McGrady. The Phoenix Suns learned that Wednesday night.

Tracy McGrady
Orlando's Tracy McGrady had a near triple-double, but it wasn't a one-man show for the Magic on Wednesday.

McGrady was held to less than 30 points for just the second time in seven games, but he nearly had his first career triple-double as the Magic snapped the Suns' four-game winning streak 97-91.

"It's all about trust," McGrady said. "That's what I've been learning throughout this season, being able to trust my teammates and create for others. That's what I was trying to do tonight."

McGrady had 25 points on 10-for-28 shooting with 12 rebounds and eight assists.

"This is a big win for us because it wasn't a great game by McGrady," Orlando coach Doc Rivers said. "He didn't have his shot early. He hit some big shots at the end. He just stayed in there and was a great decoy at times."

Mike Miller had 16 points for the Magic. Darrell Armstrong, who had 13 points and 11 assists, scored four crucial points in the final 1:21 as Orlando won its second consecutive to finish its four-game road trip 2-2.

"Back to back wins on the road are very big for us," Rivers said. "We basically come back the same way we left, and that's really impressive."

The Suns, who started their streak by ending the Magic's nine-game run in Orlando on Feb. 20, were noticeably slower without Shawn Marion, sidelined with a concussion sustained in a fall late in the game Sunday against Utah.

"We just came out totally flat," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said. "They had all the energy. Early in the game we couldn't even get back on defense. They took it to us, and they deserved to win."

Missing an important player was no excuse, Skiles said.

"Normally that's when guys with character step up," he said.

The Magic led throughout the second half, but sent Phoenix to the foul line 19 times in the fourth quarter. The Suns, however, missed seven of them, three crucial ones by Tony Delk.

Phoenix was 32-for-44 at the line, compared to 17-for-23 for Orlando.

Jason Kidd scored 16 points and tied his career high with 16 rebounds. Jake Tsakilitis, Phoenix's 7-foot-2 rookie, had a season's best 17 points and eight rebounds. Cliff Robinson scored 16, but was on the bench down the stretch. Tom Gugliotta added 14 for Phoenix, which shot just 36 percent from the field.

"Sure, we missed Shawn," Gugliotta said. "But that's no excuse for not going out and playing as hard as we have been the last six or seven games. If we'd played as hard as we had been, we'd have won this game."

The Suns cut the lead to one twice in the fourth quarter, but both times missed free throws by Delk ruined the Suns' chances to tie or take the lead.

Delk missed two free throws with 8:27 to play and Orlando leading 81-80. He had a chance for a game-tying three-point play with 26.5 seconds to play when he scored on a reverse layup and was fouled by McGrady. But he missed the free throw and Orlando led 92-91.

"I've just got to get to the line, concentrate and make free throws," Delk said. "They're crucial, something that I should be shooting a lot better than I'm shooting right now. I've just got to focus in on that part of my game."

Armstrong's 17-footer had put the Magic ahead 92-89 with 1:21 to go.

His two free throws with 21.2 seconds to play gave Orlando a 94-91 lead, then Gugliotta's low pass to Rodney Rogers was lost out of bounds. Miller's two free throws with 15.7 seconds remaining made it 96-91.

Orlando outscored the Suns 10-1 over the last 2{ minutes of the first half to go up 53-45 at the break.

Game notes
In their two games against Orlando, the Suns were 75-for-99 at the foul line. ... Rogers started in place of Marion and was 0-for-6 from the field in the first half, 2-for-14 for the game. ... Marion will miss the Thursday night game at San Antonio but is expected to rejoin the team Saturday against Denver. ... Orlando was 9-3 in February. ... Kidd had seven rebounds in the first quarter.

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RECAPS
Indiana 99
Milwaukee 86

Toronto 95
Atlanta 88

Charlotte 91
New Jersey 88

Minnesota 111
Detroit 100

Philadelphia 79
Miami 69

Houston 95
Chicago 78

Orlando 97
Phoenix 91

Utah 101
Vancouver 83

Denver 107
LA Lakers 101

Sacramento 122
Golden State 101


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