Dennis Neumann and Richie Adubato will answer the Magic Radio Internet question of the night during every game this season. E-mail your question to MagicRadio@orlandomagic.com. E-mailers could win a chance to sit courtside at a Magic home game with Dennis and Richie!
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F | |
| MAGIC | 30 | 26 | 23 | 23 | - | 102 |
| GRIZZLIES | 21 | 22 | 23 | 17 | - | 83 |
Recap:
MEMPHIS (AP) -- Mickael Pietrus scored 19 points and Dwight Howard and J.J. Redick each had 15 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 102-83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in a preseason game on Monday night.
Howard also had a team-high 11 rebounds in 24 minutes as the Magic remained unbeaten in four exhibition games. The Grizzlies were led by rookie Sam Young's 22 points. O.J. Mayo scored 16 and Rudy Gay had 12 before leaving early in the third quarter because of a left calf contusion.
Memphis' Allen Iverson has not played during the preseason because of a strained left hamstring. The Grizzlies (1-3) also played without point guard Mike Conley, who missed the game with a sprained right ankle. Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson got the night off.
The Magic jumped to a 27-16 lead in the first period behind Matt Barnes, who scored 10 of the Magic's first 14 points after being held scoreless in 23 minutes during the team's win over Houston Friday. Barnes did not score in the second half.
The Grizzlies went on a 14-2 run to open the second quarter with Young serving as the catalyst. He scored six straight points and Marcus Williams closed the spurt with a 3-pointer for a 35-32 advantage.
But Orlando answered quickly with Redick scoring five points during an 8-0 run. The Magic closed by scoring the final 12 points of the half for a 56-43 lead.
Orlando opened the third quarter with baskets by Rashard Lewis and Howard to extend its lead to 60-43 and the Grizzlies threatened only once. Late in the third quarter, they took advantage of six Magic turnovers in seven possessions and trimmed a 69-55 Orlando lead to 69-62.
The Magic quickly built their lead back to double digits and led 79-66 after three quarters. The Grizzlies never got closer than 11.
Back to top
POSTGAME VIDEO:
Back to top
Preview:
After jumping out to a perfect 3-0 start to the preseason, the Orlando Magic will put their undefeated record on the line tonight against the host Memphis Grizzlies (1-2) at 8 p.m. ET.
Orlando, fresh off a Finals run, has had no problems on the offensive end this preseason.
Thus far, they’ve fired off 104.3 points per game (eighth best in the NBA) while allowing just 98.3 ppg., a point differential which puts them at fourth best in the league (+6).
They currently have six players averaging over 11 points per game, headlined by Magic All-Star forward Rashard Lewis, who has posted 20 points per contest.
The Magic will look to keep their high-octane offense rolling against a Grizzlies team that struggled last season – finishing with a 24-58 record – despite a young nucleus, consisting of O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol, that showed plenty of promise for the future.
Mayo averaged 18.5 points per game in his inaugural campaign, quelling any doubts that he could score at the professional level.
“O.J. is a great scorer and he’s a really good young player in this league,” Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick explained. “He’s a tough matchup because he’s quick, he’s bigger and he can get his shot off. (O.J.) and Rudy are two of the better young players in the league.”
The Grizzlies will likely also attempt to feature another young player in this contest, rookie center Hasheem Thabeet.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft from the University of Connecticut started in the last preseason game for Memphis and responded with five points on an efficient 2-for-3 shooting to go along with six rebounds. Memphis will likely want him to log a lot of minutes against Magic All-Star center Howard and see how its young prospect performs against the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Back to top
Game Notes:
Oct. 12 @ Memphis (PRESEASON): Orlando is 15-11 all-time vs. Memphis (9-4 at home, 2-6 at Memphis, 4-1 at Vancouver) during regular season action…The teams split 1-1 last season…Orlando is 4-3 all-time during the preseason vs. Memphis…Orlando has won three of the last five, but lost 10 of the last 14 meetings overall…Prior to that, the Magic had recorded nine straight victories against the Grizzles…Jason Williams played four seasons for the Grizzlies from 2001-05.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. GRIZZLIES: 37 pts., Anfernee Hardaway (@ Orlando, 11-22-95)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 32 pts., Rudy Gay (@ Orlando, 12-15-07)
Back to top
