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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| NETS | 27 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 72 |
| MAGIC | 23 | 19 | 20 | 26 | 88 |
Recap:
ORLANDO (NBA.com exclusive) -- Rafer Alston will take the triple-double.
He just wishes he could take it some other time.
"It's special, but it's tough to enjoy after a loss," said the New Jersey Nets point guard after getting 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 88-72 loss to the Orlando Magic. "I'm sure I'll feel better about it some day. It's not the easiest thing to accomplish."
It was the ninth straight loss for the winless and injury-depleted Nets, who dressed only nine players for the game.
Dwight Howard led the Magic with 26 points and five blocked shots and Matt Barnes grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds after jamming his left ring finger in the third quarter.
Despite shooting 33 percent and having no answer for Howard, the Nets stayed in the game until well into the fourth quarter. Then after a big Magic run, all that was left was Alston's triple-double quest.
"I've always flirted with a triple-double, but I've never had one," Alston said. "I took way too many shots, in my opinion, but my teammates kept encouraging me to shoot."
Alston was the Magic's starting point guard during their run to the NBA Finals last season. Eleven days after the conclusion of the Finals, he was traded to the Nets, along with Courtney Lee and Tony Battie, for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson.
Now he's looking to win a game -- against anyone.
"The losing is not fun," he said. "Trying to defeat the odds is what is fun for us. I think we're doing a good job of coming out and starting games and competing. Tonight we just let go of the rope in the fourth quarter."
Howard, the NBA's leading rebounder and shot blocker last season, has been criticized by Magic coach Stan Van Gundy for his lack of production in recent games.
"Me and coach talked a little bit, and I think for our team to be successful, I've got the bring it every night," Howard said. "I was just trying to be aggressive and trying to hold my man to a low percentage."
Van Gundy said Howard's menacing defensive play set the tone for the Nets' collapse in the second half.
"It's not a coincidence that they shot 33 percent on a night when he blocks five shots," Van Gundy said.
New Jersey center Brook Lopez had the most frustrating night of all for the Nets, making only 1-of-12 shots and battling foul trouble against Howard.
"I've got to do a batter job of getting back and playing him properly so the whistle doesn't blow," Lopez said. "My shots wouldn't drop, but I'm more disappointed defensively."
The Nets grabbed a 10-point lead after a six-minute stretch of the second quarter in which the Magic went scoreless, missing six shots with four turnovers.
Howard and Jameer Nelson rallied the Magic (7-3) into a 42-42 halftime tie, and then the Nets came up empty. Howard shot seven free throws between New Jersey points as the Nets went through a scoreless stretch of 5:29.
The Nets were still down by only 68-62 when Terrence Williams hit a jumper with 9:46 left, but Carter and Jason Williams nailed 3-pointers on a 15-4 Magic run that put the game away.
"Give Orlando credit, their defense in the second half," said Nets coach Lawrence Frank. "There was a big free-throw disparity in the second half, I think 15-2. I think we're capable of doing more."
New Jersey is still eight games short of the NBA record of consecutive losses to start a season. The expansion Miami Heat of 1988-89 and the Los Angeles Clippers of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season each lost their first 17 games.
The Nets played Friday night without Devin Harris (strained right groin), Lee (strained left groin), Keyon Dooling (hip surgery), Yi Jianlian (sprained right MCL), Battie (sore right knee) and Jarvis Hayes (strained left hamstring).
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POSTGAME HIGHLIGHTS:
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Preview:
STATS -- Vince Carter looked strong in his return to the starting lineup for the Orlando Magic. Perhaps his former teammates with the New Jersey Nets will finally get some good news on the injury front as well.
Carter and the Magic try to take advantage of a matchup with the league's only remaining winless team, but the Nets could have two starters back Friday night for the teams' second matchup this season.
After nearly five seasons with New Jersey (0-8), Carter was traded to Orlando (6-3) in July as part of a five-player deal. The veteran swingman missed four of his first seven games with the Magic due to a sprained ankle before scoring 15 points off the bench in a 93-81 win over Charlotte on Tuesday night.
Carter was back in the starting lineup the following evening, but his 29 points weren't enough to help Orlando avoid a 102-93 loss to Cleveland in a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Magic have lost two of three following a strong start.
"We're not playing great basketball right now," Carter said. "For us to win and be as good as we want to be, we have to want it. We have to go get it."
Orlando could certainly be playing worse. New Jersey and its banged-up roster is being outscored by an average of 10.8 points.
The Nets had perhaps their best chance at a victory Wednesday night, but missed three chances to take the lead in the final minute of an 82-79 loss to Philadelphia.
"There's no such thing as failure, in the sense that you learn from all these situations," coach Lawrence Frank told the Nets' official Web site. "It's very disappointing to lose, but this is a prideful group. They're busting their tails."
Frank had eight players, the league minimum, at his disposal. He may get some help, with Chris Douglas-Roberts (swine flu) and Courtney Lee (groin) making progress.
Douglas-Roberts, averaging 15.6 points in his second season, has missed three straight games. Lee, a part of the Carter trade after being drafted 22nd overall by Orlando, averaged 11.8 points in six games before missing the last two.
New Jersey remains without Yi Jianlian (knee), Devin Harris (groin), Jarvis Hayes (hamstring), Keyon Dooling (hip) and Tony Battie (knee).
Rafer Alston, also dealt to the Nets by the Magic, has been starting at point guard for Harris. He played a significant role for Orlando last season, starting most of the second half while Jameer Nelson was injured.
Alston had 10 points off the bench in New Jersey's 95-85 loss to Orlando on Oct. 30.
Magic center Dwight Howard led all players with 20 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks in that contest. He has been playing without fellow All-Star Rashard Lewis, who will complete a 10-game suspension Friday for violating the league's substance abuse policy late last season.
Howard will be matched up with Brook Lopez, the only healthy regular for the Nets the past few games. Lopez, though, has not had a letdown in his play, averaging 22.7 points over his last three contests.
Lopez was held to 11 points on 3 of 8 shooting in this season's first matchup with the Magic.
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Game Notes:
Nov. 13 vs. New Jersey: Orlando is 44-35 all-time vs. New Jersey (23-15 at home, 19-20 on the road, 2-0 at Tokyo, Japan) during regular season play, including 1-0 this season…Orlando went 2-1 last season against the Nets...The Magic have won eight of the last 11 meetings with the Nets…The Magic have won five of the last six matchups in Orlando, and split the last 10 trips to New Jersey…Ryan Anderson was drafted by the Nets in 2008 and spent his rookie season in New Jersey (2008-09)…Vince Carter spent four-plus seasons with the Nets from 2005-09…Anthony Johnson played two seasons (100 games) with New Jersey from 2001-03 and helped the Nets reach back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003…Oct. 30 @ New Jersey – Magic 95, Nets 85: Dwight Howard recorded 20 points, 22 rebounds and four blocked shots, as Orlando defeated New Jersey, 95-85, at IZOD Center. Five Magic players scored in double figures. Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter each netted 16 points for Orlando. Carter scored all of his during the first half, but was forced to leave the game due to a sprained ankle late in the second quarter. Courtney Lee led the Nets with 18 points, while Devin Harris added 16 points and seven assists. The Magic outrebounded New Jersey, 48-39, and held the Nets to just 38.3 percent shooting from the field.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. NETS: 50 pts., Nick Anderson (@ New Jersey, 4-23-93)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 41 pts., Kendall Gill (@ New Jersey, 1-13-97)
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