Magic top Heat 122-99 despite Wade's big night

ORLANDO, Fla.(AP) It's not too often Orlando
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy can crack jokes after watching one of the
NBA's best players have a career game against his team.Then again, allowing such a performance doesn't usually come in a blowout win.Dwight
Howard had 32 points and 17 rebounds, and the Magic withstood a
career-high 50 points by Dwyane Wade to rout the Miami Heat 122-99 on
Sunday."My concern is when Dwyane goes into the Hall of Fame and
they start putting off his top career games, it's going to be like 50
versus Orlando,'' Van Gundy joked. "We're going to fill up the entire
screen. So, I don't know what to tell you. When I coached Dwyane I
really liked him, but I'm not so sure anymore. Our relationship is
strained.''Hedo Turkoglu had 20 points and Rafer Alston added 12
points and nine assists for the Magic, who have won 12 of the past 15
games against their Sunshine State rival.Wade was potent from
inside and out, scoring with high-flying dunks and soaring jumpers that
had even some Magic fans chanting "M-V-P!'' Miami's do-it-all guard had
previously scored 48 twice in his career, and had 43 points two times
earlier this season.But the lopsided loss put a damper on his performance."It's
great to know you can score 50 points, but it would be better to walk
away with a win,'' said Wade, who was 17-for-30 shooting from the
floor. "It's bittersweet. No player alone can carry everything.''He sure tried.Wade
hit a pair of 3-pointers in an 11-4 Heat run to start the third
quarter, closing the gap to 68-57. But the Magic would come back with a
series of 3s to go ahead 91-72 at the end of the period to offset
Wade's performance.The Heat never got close in the fourth, and
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra cleared most of the bench midway through the
period - except for Wade, who was left in until his shot over Courtney
Lee gave him 50 points."I think he was (aware of it),''
Spoelstra said. "Then when I realized it, I had to motion to him, 'This
is it,' because I was about to put Jamaal (Magloire) back in regardless
of what happened.''Despite Wade's stellar game, it was the Magic's newest player that made the biggest difference.Alston,
acquired from Houston last Friday, has taken the ballhandling
responsibilities off Orlando's free-shooting perimeter players. The
speedy guard has allowed the Magic to return to their usual rotation
and play the up-tempo, pick-and-roll style game that had them looking
like real title contenders before All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson
tore the labrum in his right shoulder Feb. 2.Nelson has since had season-ending surgery, and the Magic are counting on Alston to fill the void."When
you have a dominant center like Dwight, my job is not as tough as it
may seem,'' Alston said. "But I know it's tough because we're a
contending team, and the point guard has to be rock solid out there.''He had them rolling from the start against Miami.Driving
and dishing from all angles, Alston had seven assists and a pair of
3-pointers in the opening quarter. Howard converted a three-point play
after a powerful dunk over Wade and Udonis Haslem, the last of 13
straight points by the Magic to open up a 27-12 lead early. Howard's 15
points in the quarter just about canceled out all the acrobatic shots
Wade had en route to 16 points in the period.For the Heat, their newest members didn't give them much.Jermaine
O'Neal and Jamario Moon were smothered, combining for just 13 points as
the Magic overpowered Miami's big men to win the rebounding battle
53-28. The pair was acquired from Toronto on Friday, with O'Neal
expected to give Miami the inside presence it has lacked since trading
Shaquille O'Neal last year.But matching up against Howard - perhaps the league's best big man - was too much, and the Heat again leaned heavily on Wade."If
you can't be in a game and he scores 50, there's some concerns,''
Spoelstra said. "It's the level of play. They were sharp and they were
playing with great energy at the start and we didn't match that.''Notes:
A moment of silence was held before the game for Utah Jazz owner Larry
Miller, who died Friday. ... Magic shooting guard Mickael Pietrus
missed the game with a sprained right wrist he suffered in the team's
win Friday night at Charlotte. He's day to day. ... Alston wore his No.
1 jersey after sporting a nameless No. 36 jersey - the emergency
uniform the Magic always bring with them on the road - in his first
game with Orlando on Friday night. ... Miami is 41-37 against Orlando
in the regular season. Orlando is 2-1 against their Sunshine State
rival this season.