Dwight Howard used Friday night as an opportunity to show just how much room there is between him and the NBA’s other top centers.
Matched up against the Nets’ up-and-coming Brook Lopez, Howard scored 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Orlando to a 105-90 win over New Jersey at Florida’s brand-new Amway Center. The loss marked New Jersey’s third straight defeat after a pair of consecutive wins to open its season.
Lopez, meanwhile, looked out of sorts all night and had one of the most difficult nights of his NBA career, though he’s not the first to experience such an evening against last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. The Nets’ center missed his first 13 shot attempts, finishing 3-for-17 from the field with 10 points and five rebounds.
Even with Lopez being shut out in the first two quarters, the Nets (2-3) led 51-48 at halftime thanks to a blistering 8-of-12 3-point shooting performance led by Travis Outlaw and Terrence Williams. New Jersey struggled with its shooting in the first quarter, but managed to limit Orlando’s offense and keep in the game within a couple of points before their offensive explosion.
After the half, though, Howard just became too much to contain and Jameer Nelson put the pedal to the metal late in the game with a series of drives past Jordan Farmar and the New Jersey defense. Orlando outscored the Nets 32-16 in the third, closing the frame on a 12-4 run, and led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Nets were able to climb back to within 10, but failed in each of their attempts to get the game within single digits.
Once the threes stopped falling for the Nets – they made just two in the second half after the eight they hit before halftime – the game boiled down to the glaring disparity between the performances of the team’s centers. After missing his first few post-up attempts, Lopez seemed to let the threat of Howard’s shot-blocking ability alter his release on his post moves and clearly made him rush his jump shots.
The Magic (3-1) played the role of aggressor in other aspects of the game as well. Orlando attempted 32 free throws to the Nets’ nine. Howard, normally a poor free-throw shooter, made 12 of his 16 attempts, halting any opportunity the Nets thought they had to slow him down. Orlando also held a decided 50-31 edge on the glass.
Outlaw led the Nets in scoring for the first time this season with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, which included three out of four makes from beyond the arc. New Jersey got a boost of its bench from Terrence Williams, who also connected on three of four 3-pointers to finish with 15 points, and Kris Humphries, who played over Johan Petro as the backup center and finished 6-of-7 from the field with 13 points. Devin Harris added 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
Orlando warmed up after its slow start to shoot almost 48 percent from the field and 11-for-28 (39 percent) from 3-point range. Nelson finished with 20 points and six assists. Vince Carter, a former Net, scored 19 on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from deep. Rashard Lewis chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds.
Lopez called the ability to play tomorrow “a blessing” following the game, but the Nets will have another big challenge in front of them when they travel to Miami to play the Heat for the second time in seven days.
Notes: Nelson left the game in the final minutes after contesting a shot attempt by Harris and landing on his foot. The Magic point guard took a while to get up and walked gingerly, but was able to leave the court on his own … Avery Johnson praised the officials after the game despite the Nets committing 27 personal fouls to the Magic’s 11. Johnson said that it was all due to Orlando’s aggressiveness and a lack of the same type of plays being generated by the Nets’ offense … Troy Murphy made his second start of the season and played 28 minutes, up from 18 minutes on Wednesday night. The Nets power forward finished with five points, five rebounds and three assists … Johnson opted to use Humphries exclusively as Lopez’s relief against Howard. Normally a power forward, Humphries made a few impact plays inside the paint in addition to his efficient offensive night. Johnson’s decision led to Petro, the Nets’ typical backup center, to sit out his first game of the season … Miami, also playing Friday night, will travel from New Orleans back to Florida to play the Nets Saturday night.