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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Shaquille O'Neal provided the Orlando Magic
with another reason to regret watching him walk away as a free
agent.
|  | | Shaquille O'Neal, with a game-high 17 rebounds, battles Orlando's John Amaechi. |
O'Neal had 33 points and 17 rebounds for his 43rd double-double
of the season, and led a late 14-6 run as the Los Angeles Lakers
defeated Orlando 95-90 Sunday.
O'Neal, who still owns a home in the Orlando area, has led the
Lakers to seven wins in nine games against Orlando since joining
Los Angeles before the 1996-97 season.
"It's always fun to come back here and play, to see the
articles you guys (reporters) write," said O'Neal, who led the
Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995. "I think now this is just another
game. If the guys were still here that I played with, then it would
be more of a rivalry-type thing. This is a whole new team."
During a three-minute span late in the fourth quarter, O'Neal
had eight points. However, he missed two of four free throws during
that stretch and was pulled with two minutes remaining and the
Lakers leading by nine. O'Neal was 5-for-13 from the line in the
second half after a 4-for-5 start.
"Other than the free throws in the second half, I think he
(O'Neal) played a great game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
The Magic got 29 points and 10 rebounds from Tracy McGrady,
returning from a two-game suspension following a fight with
Sacramento's Bobby Jackson on Tuesday. Mike Miller had 18 points –
but none in the fourth quarter.
Orlando closed within a point, 75-74, with eight minutes to play
on Darrell Armstrong's two free throws.
But the Magic came up empty on their next four possessions. In
one series, Armstrong missed two 3-pointers – typical of his
2-for-14 game, which included misses on all six of his 3-point
attempts.
"You have off nights," said Armstrong, who finished with eight
points and eight assists. "I don't think I played a bad game; I
just thought I didn't shoot the ball well."
"I thought Darrell rushed a little," Orlando coach Doc Rivers
said. "He can get wound up at times, and I thought today was one
of those times."
Orlando's cold offense allowed the Lakers to slowly run off,
beginning with Robert Horry's follow slam for a three-point lead
with 7:01 to play.
O'Neal's three-point play off a put-back dunk with 2:05
remaining capped the run and gave the Lakers an 89-80 lead.
Los Angeles went ahead by 12 points with 4:32 remaining in the
third quarter, as O'Neal had six points during a 10-2 Lakers' run.
On one of O'Neal baskets, he knocked down Michael Doleac, hit a
short jumper, then yelled at the fallen player, "Get up!"
"I try and find my own way to get pumped up," O'Neal said. "I
started talking trash to Michael Doleac to get myself pumped up."
The Magic, keyed by several defensive stands, closed the third
quarter with a 12-5 run. Five Orlando players scored during the
spurt, capped by Cory Alexander's 9-foot jumper to cut the deficit
to 73-68 entering the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles took its largest lead of the opening half, 39-30, on
O'Neal's dunk with 4:10 remaining in the second quarter. O'Neal
ended the first half with 16 points, eight rebounds and five
assists.
The Lakers began the game by scoring nine points on their first
three possessions. But Los Angeles cooled after that, with only 12
points the rest of the quarter on 5-of-18 shooting. McGrady's
three-point play off a vicious dunk ended the period's scoring, and
brought the Magic within two points, 21-19.
Game notes
Orlando is winless in 10 nationally televised games this
season. ... Miller is averaging 13.7 points per game during the
last 35 games. In the first 30 games of the season, he averaged 7.4
points. ... Rap artists R. Kelly and Jay-Z were in attendance. ...
The game was a sellout, the Magic's third of the season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Orlando Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 95
Orlando 90
Indiana 101
Sacramento 95
Minnesota 91
Cleveland 76
Milwaukee 100
Detroit 96
Seattle 104
Golden State 99
Utah 111
LA Clippers 96
Denver 98
New Jersey 84
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Orlando's Tracy McGrady drives to the hoop for a one-handed dunk.
avi: 560 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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