Magic try to avoid tying franchise record

12.3.2003

New Orleans, LA (Basketball News) - The Orlando Magic try to avoid tying the franchise record of 17 straight losses tonight when they travel to New Orleans to take on the Hornets in the finale of a home-and-home set.

Baron Davis scored 21 points and handed out 11 assists, as the Hornets added to the Magic’s misery by beating Orlando, 100-91, Tuesday at the TD Waterhouse Centre.

Orlando, which has now lost 16 straight games, set the franchise record of 17 straight losses between December 1991 and January 1992.

Gordan Giricek had a game-high 25 points for the Magic, whose only win of the year came in overtime against New York in the season-opener on October 29.

Juwan Howard and Tracy McGrady each added 16 points in the loss to the Hornets.

Orlando is 0-10 at home this season.

Five other players scored in double digits for New Orleans, which was coming off a 79-74 loss at New York on Saturday. David Wesley scored 17 points, P.J. Brown added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds and Jamaal Magloire chipped in with 11 points.

Darrell Armstrong poured in 10 points off the bench against his former team and David West added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.

The Hornets dominated the paint, outscoring the Magic 52-24.

The Magic had 21 turnovers in the contest.

The Hornets took control of the game in the third quarter by outscoring the Magic 27-20. A Brown dunk, then a Davis basket pushed the New Orleans lead to 13 points with 4:30 left in the stanza. The Magic cut the deficit back to nine late in the quarter, but could not get any closer and trailed 75-66 after 36 minutes. Davis and Brown accounted for 13 of the team’s 27 points in the quarter.

New Orleans went ice cold from the field in the middle of the fourth and the Magic outscored them 12-0 in a span of three minutes to get within three points. The Hornets then converted back-to-back baskets and the lead was back up to seven points with 4:21 left.

Orlando cut the Hornet lead to five points with under a minute to play on a McGrady jumper, but New Orleans hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

New Orleans is 6-2 at home this season.

The Hornets have won both meetings with Orlando this season. New Orleans also defeated the Magic, 100-98, on October 30.

Overall, the Hornets have won five of eight and six of the last 10 meetings with the Magic.

Orlando has lost three of its last five at the Hornets.

NO ORL

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