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From Orlando Sentinel

Hawks 94, Magic 93

Orlando Magic's Howard unveils offensive moves

Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
October 9, 2007
Preseason: Hawks 94, Magic 93

Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic goes up for a shot in front of former University of Florida player Al Horford. (JACOB LANGSTON, ORLANDO SENTINEL / October 9, 2007)


Rashard Lewis was upstaged in his Orlando Magic debut Monday night by an even more promising, but unlikely, debut.

The debut of center Dwight Howard's new-found shooting touch.

Lewis threw a scare into the club and the sparse crowd in the Magic's 94-93 exhibition-opening loss against the Atlanta Hawks, writhing on the floor and holding his right leg in the third quarter. He proved to be OK after a bout with cramps in his calf, checking out early with just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

Equally scary for opponents might be Howard's discovery of an outside game to complement his devastating inside game.

Howard's work with a shooting coach this summer looks to be taking. He dazzled the Hawks with a variety of shots outside his usual point-blank range -- bank shots as well as hook shots.

The 6-foot-11, 270-pound all-star scored 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Magic (0-1).

He did a dandy Tim Duncan impersonation, hitting two bank shots of 14 and 9 feet.

"Nice bank shots -- Tim Duncanesque," cooed center Adonal Foyle.

Howard, right-handed, also made a left-handed hook. Having struggled at the free-throw line last season, he made 4-of-6, carrying over his marksmanship from practice scrimmages. He also blocked four shots, including a rejection of former Florida Gator Al Horford that ended up in the Hawks' bench.

If Howard can be this dominant, the Magic won't miss Darko Milicic and Tony Battie nearly as much. "I'm trying to expand my game," he said. "Anything to help my team."

Lewis was impressed, saying, "Dwight wasn't trying to dunk everything. He'll be tough to defend if he can make those shots."

Howard, 21, couldn't shake a bugaboo that has haunted him the past three seasons, committing five turnovers.

New Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy talked of playing at a faster clip and launching 3-pointers but was "disappointed" the club was content to walk, calling out Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, J.J. Redick and Keith Bogans. Orlando had just seven fast-break points to Atlanta's 20.

"It didn't look like they wanted to run. I didn't see energy," Van Gundy ranted. "I want to run, but I have to get somebody that wants to run up and down the court."

After ranking next-to-last in turnovers last season, the Magic turned it over 16 times for 24 points. Point guard Jameer Nelson, however, was error-free in 23 minutes and had six assists.

The Magic were just 3-of-13 from 3-point range.

Lewis, the 6-10 forward signed to a six-year, $118 million contract this summer, hit the first shot he took for the Magic before a generously announced crowd of 14,922. His other highlights before he exited were a 3-pointer and a follow-up dunk.

Bogans started at shooting guard -- seemingly the lone job open to competition -- and played just 13 minutes. He did not score, taking just one shot and was benched -- or "bagged" as Van Gundy called it -- for not getting back on defense.

"He [Van Gundy] sent me a message. I didn't get back on one play," Bogans said. "Old habits are hard to break."

Van Gundy said he would mix and match lineups. He pulled a surprise to begin the second half, starting little-used, 6-10 second-year forward James Augustine. Trying to provide help inside, Augustine scored six points and had four rebounds in 18 minutes.

Then again, if Dwight Howard can make bank shots, the Magic's lack of big men won't be as large a problem.

Brian Schmitz can be reached at bschmitz@orlandosentinel.com.

Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

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