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Sunday, Apr. 15 2:00pm ET
Magic avenge earlier blowout losses

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MIAMI (AP) – With less than week left in the regular season, the Orlando Magic finally showed they can beat the Miami Heat.

Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady scored 24 points in only 26 minutes of a romp past Miami.

Tracy McGrady scored 24 points and the Orlando Magic avenged two lopsided losses to their intrastate rivals earlier this season by winning 90-73 Sunday.

"I was starting to feel like we weren't going to beat them," McGrady said. "You look at our last few games against them and they weren't even close."

Miami turned in a slipshod performance without point guard Tim Hardaway, who went on the injured list before the game because of a bruised left foot. He'll sit out the final two regular-season games, but coach Pat Riley said he expects Hardaway to be ready for the start of the playoffs.

Riley said Hardaway's absence wasn't a factor in the loss, and he praised the Magic's interior defense.

"This was the best game I've seen a team play against us," Riley said. "They were so good they mitigated anything we could have done."

Mike Miller scored 21 points for the Magic, who had lost their two previous games against Miami this season by 22 and 26 points. The Heat trailed by 26 in the third period and finished with 23 turnovers.

The Magic clinched at least the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, meaning they won't have to face Atlantic Division champion Philadelphia in the first round. There's a slight chance Orlando will meet the Heat in the opening round.

"Now there's something in the back of their mind that tells them we can beat them," Miller said. "They're not as invincible as they were before."

The Heat remain one game ahead of the New York Knicks in the race for No. 3 seed.

Miami's Alonzo Mourning, starting for the first time this season, had six points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. It was his 11th game after missing the first 69 games because of a kidney ailment.

"We just didn't show up," Mourning said. "This time of year, that approach to a game is not acceptable, and I put a lot of the blame on my shoulders."

Anthony Carter and Eddie House filled in for Hardaway and had no assists until the fourth quarter. Teammates Brian Grant, Eddie Jones, Dan Majerle and Bruce Bowen went a combined 2-for-16.

McGrady, who had a career-high 49 points Friday against Washington, went 11-for-20 in 26 minutes.

Pat Garrity scored seven consecutive points during a 13-1 run that put Orlando ahead 44-27. The Magic led 53-34 at halftime, thanks to 55 percent shooting and 12 Heat turnovers.

When Miller's 3-pointer with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third period made it 66-40, fans booed the Heat. At 82-56 with 10 minutes remaining, the crowd began streaming for the exits.

"It's amazing what happens when you come out with a force," Garrity said. "The great thing was that when we blew it open in the second quarter, we didn't stop. We even extended it.

"We knew they were not at full strength without Tim Hardaway, but it is a nice feeling to know that we can beat them."

The victory capped a strange week for the Magic, with wins over Philadelphia and Miami but losses to Cleveland and Washington.

Said McGrady: "I don't understand this team sometimes."

Game notes
Magic guard Darrell Armstrong (groin strain) was activated from the injured list before the game but did not play. Orlando is 3-3 in his absence. ... The teams meet again in the season finale Wednesday at Orlando. ... The Magic, who had lost three consecutive road games, snapped the Heat's three-game home winning streak.

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Heat put Hardaway on IR, say he'll be back for playoffs


RECAPS
Philadelphia 89
New York 82

Boston 95
New Jersey 88

Cleveland 106
Washington 98

Orlando 90
Miami 73

Indiana 93
Chicago 86

Minnesota 107
Utah 100

Phoenix 88
Sacramento 86

LA Lakers 105
Portland 100

Charlotte 99
Detroit 90

Dallas 107
Seattle 99


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