Turkoglu Returns; Barnes Goes Off
Written by Adam Papageorgiou    Wednesday, 16 December 2009 22:40   

The Orlando Magic improved to 19-6 Wednesday night after defeating the Toronto Raptors 118-99 at Amway Arena. This contest saw the return of Hedo Turkoglu who received a fair mix of boos and cheers from the Orlando faithful. It saw Dwight Howard put on a show on both ends of the court by tallying 18 points and 14 rebounds. D-Flight also swatted 8 of the team's 14 blocks total. Keep in mind, the Raptors didn't have one single block on the evening.

MattBarnes

Mickael Pietrus and Jason Williams were hampered by the same stomach virus that affected Vince Carter on Monday. Matt Barnes picked up the slack for an a frustrated Pietrus who only played 17 minutes as he picked up a technical. Stan Van Gundy also was tagged with a technical foul. Barnes went off for a season-high 20 points. He also managed 6 boards off the bench. Meanwhile, Jason Williams faired better than 'Peaches' as 'J-Will' finished with 13 points and 7 assists in 23 minutes. Anthony Johnson once again played a phenomenal game from the pine, pouring in 13 points. Rashard Lewis was the game's leading scorer with 21 points.

Along with it being a block party, the victors ended up providing some impressive alley oops and dunks for the audience. The Magic men are now 8-1 this season when six or more players reach double digits. On an injury note, Adonal Foyle was in his warm-ups as the veteran center was active for the team for the first time since his arthroscopic knee surgery back in October. He didn't see the court, but Foyle received great support from the Amway fans during pre-game and halftime periods. The Magic play Thursday in Miami to seek revenge for the Heat's 99-98 controversial victory in Orlando back in November.

Once more Chris Bosh found little support as he posted just 20 points. Hedo Turkoglu (14 points) and Jarrett Jack (13 points) were the only other Raptors to score in double figures. There is good news for the 11-17 Raptors, they host the worst team in the NBA in the New Jersey Nets on Friday. Coach Jay Triano is running a portion of the torch ceremony Thursday for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.


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