News / Sports
NBA Scores: Dwight Howard Scores Career High 35 to Lift Magic Past the Sixers
Dwight Howard scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Darko Milicic added 14 points and 7 boards to give the Orlando Magic (37-42) a 104-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers (33-46) and increased their lead to two games over the Indiana Pacers for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Howard scored 18 in the first quarter as the Magic jumped to a 35-25 lead after the opening period. By halftime Orlando had bumped the lead to 13 after Howard added another 8 in the second quarter.
Orlando opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run to bury the Sixers who could never get closer than 13 the rest of the way.
The Magic can clinch a playoff birth on Sunday with a win over the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers lose to the New Jersey Nets.
