Magic Reach 50-Win Mark by Beating Bulls

[April 14, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Hedo Turkoglu scored 24 points, and the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls 104-84 to reach the 50-win mark for the first time in 12 years on Sunday night.

Dwight Howard added 19 points even though he sat out the fourth quarter, and Rashard Lewis added 18.

Orlando got a much-needed win after dropping six of 10 and losing to lottery-bound New York and Minnesota in that span. In between, the Magic captured their most lopsided win of the season when they beat Chicago 115-83 at home on Wednesday. This one wasn't as easy, even though they seemed poised early to blow out the Bulls again.

The Magic hit 11 of 14 shots in the first quarter while grabbing a 36-24 lead, and shot 34-for-69 overall. They finally put the Bulls away with a 14-2 run that began in the closing seconds of the third quarter.

Turkoglu scored seven during that spurt, starting it with a reverse driving layup that gave the Magic an 82-74 lead heading into the fourth.

Lewis hit a 3-pointer -- one of four for him -- to make it 92-76 and Carlos Arroyo capped it with two free throws with 7:40 left. The Bulls managed just 10 points in the quarter, matching a season-low they set Jan. 15 in a loss at Orlando, and were 5-for-19 from the field.

With the game out of reach there was no need for Howard, who had 30 points and 14 rebounds against the Bulls last week, to play. This time, he took just four shots but hit 13 of 17 free throws.

Andres Nocioni led Chicago with 22 points and Luol Deng added 19, but it wasn't enough to stop the Magic from reaching 50 wins for the first time since 1995-96.

They won 60 that season, their third straight with 50 or more, but lost in the Eastern Conference finals to a Bulls team that won 72 games. Then, Shaquille O'Neal headed for Los Angeles, and the Magic started to fade.

Now, with another dominant big man, they're third in the Eastern Conference.

Notes: The Magic have made at least five 3-pointers in all 80 games, extending their NBA record. ... Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was sporting a bruise below his right eye after horsing around with his 13-year-old son. "I was trying to come up with a better story," he said. "But I'm not good on short notice." ... The Magic's first miss was a 3-pointer from the corner by Keith Bogans with 4:46 left in the first quarter.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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