Fittingly, Superman played a role in the most powerful performance in the NBA this season.
Dwight Howard had 25 points and 15 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic made an NBA-record 23 3-pointers Tuesday night in a 139-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
On big nights around the NBA from LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal – plus a 44-point effort from Dirk Nowitzki in a loss – it was the surging Magic who put on the most impressive show.
The Magic made 23 of 37 attempts (62 percent) in breaking the old mark of 21, set by Toronto on March 13, 2005, against Philadelphia. Orlando rang up the highest point total in the league this season and its best since scoring 152 at Milwaukee on Feb. 20, 1995.
The Magic still found time to feed Howard, their All-Star center who donned a Superman cape last year while winning the slam dunk contest. He was 8-of-10 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
middle.”
In other NBA games Tuesday, it was: Charlotte 80, Detroit 78; Miami 99, Minnesota 96; Cleveland 102, Memphis 87; the Los Angeles Lakers 105, Houston 100; Denver 99, Dallas 97; and Phoenix 107, Atlanta 102.
At Sacramento, Calif., Nelson was 5-of-5 from behind the arc, Keith Bogans and J.J. Redick each hit four, and Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu made three apiece. Even seldom-used Jeremy Richardson made one, hitting the record-setter with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter.
“I knew it was close to a record, but I really didn’t know, I just took the shot,” Richardson said in a jovial Orlando locker room. “It was a great record for the team, I was just happy to play and be a part of it.”
Howard spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench after helping Orlando win its fifth straight game and improve to an NBA-best 15-5 on the road. The Magic are 16-4 against the Western Conference and continue a four-game road trip Friday against the Lakers.
Sacramento lost its 12th in 14 games and allowed the Magic to go 13-of-19 from 3-point range and score 75 points in the first half.
“We won’t come out like that again,” said Kevin Martin, who scored 30 points. “It’s time to make people accountable because that was just embarrassing to me. We are a joke right now, that’s how people look at us. They just keep launching 3s away. You should be pretty angry about that.”
rizzlies 87
At Memphis, Tenn., LeBron James had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, helping Cleveland overcome the absences of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace.
Delonte West added 19 points and Mo Williams 16 for the Cavs.
Kyle Lowry led the Grizzlies with a career-high 25 points. The Grizzlies also got 13 points in 13 minutes from Darius Miles, who signed a 10-day contract Saturday and is one game away from reaching the 10 appearances that would put the remaining $18 million of his salary back on Portland’s payroll.
Lakers 105, Rockets 100
At Houston, Kobe Bryant sank a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left and scored 33 points, helping Los Angeles beat the undermanned Rockets.
Bryant scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, finally getting the better of Houston’s Von Wafer, who scored a career-high 23 points in place of the injured Tracy McGrady. The Rockets also played without Ron Artest.
Nuggets 99, Mavericks 97
At Denver, Chauncey Billups made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left, and the Nuggets overcame 44 points from Dirk Nowitzki.
Billups scored 23 points and Nene had 20 to lead a balanced attack that helped Denver recover after blowing a 17-point lead.
Jason Terry added 16 points for Dallas, which has lost three straight.
Suns 107, Hawks 102
rebounds, and the Suns (22-13) won their third straight and moved nine games over .500 for the first time this season.
The Suns are 8-1 this season when O’Neal scores 20 or more points. This was his ninth 20-point game of the season, one better than last season’s total.
Josh Smith scored 24 points for the Hawks, who have lost four in a row.
Heat 99, Timberwolves 96
At Minneapolis, Dwyane Wade had 31 points and eight assists for Miami, and Shawn Marion hit the go-ahead free throws with 22 seconds left.
Randy Foye scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to get the Timberwolves their sixth straight victory. Minnesota lost for the first time in 2009.
Marion finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Bobcats 80, Pistons 78
At Auburn Hills, Mich., Raymond Felton’s jumper with 0.7 seconds left gave Charlotte its second straight victory.
Felton led the Bobcats with 23 points. Gerald Wallace added 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Bobcats scored the game’s final nine points.
Richard Hamilton returned after missing eight games with a groin strain, meaning the Pistons went back to a three-guard lineup despite going 6-2 without Hamilton. Rodney Stuckey led Detroit with 22 points.
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