Vince Carter 26 points vs Dwight Howard

February 26, 2008
With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the Orlando Magic have no problem getting the ball to Hedo Turkoglu.

The 6-foot-10 forward has been money for the Magic in crunch time all season. He put on another show Tuesday night, scoring scored 17 his 25 points in the final quarter in a 102-92 decision over the New Jersey Nets.

"We have great confidence in him," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He gets the opportunities and he comes through when we have put the ball in his hands in those situations."

Turkoglu was almost perfect in the final 12 minutes. He hit all four of his shots from the field, including two 3-pointers, and 7 of 8 free throws. He also had two rebounds, an assist and a steal playing the entire quarter.

"When the time came, I was ready and did my part," said Turkoglu, who said Rashard Lewis kept the Magic in the game in the third quarter by scoring 11 of his 25 points. "I'm glad I did it and we got a W."

Slam dunk champion Dwight Howard had his 50th double-double of the season (17 points, 10 rebounds) as Orlando ran its streak of 100-point games to nine in winning its third straight game.

"He's our go-to guy," Howard said of the forward he teasingly calls "Catfish." "We have total confidence in him. He hits a lot of tough shots in the fourth quarter to win games for us."

Vince Carter had 26 points and Richard Jefferson 20 for New Jersey, which is 2-2 since trading star point guard Jason Kidd to Dallas in an eight-player deal on Feb. 19.

Trailing 81-78 after Kidd's replacement, Marcus Williams, hit a 3-pointer with 6:13 to go, Turkoglu took off, like he has all season in the fourth quarter.

Coming into the game, Turkoglu had scored 10 or more points in the fourth quarter 12 times. He made his 13th look easy.

Turkoglu hit an open 3-pointer to tie the game at 81 with 5:18 to go. With the scored tied at 83, Turkoglu scored uncontested when the Nets' defense fell asleep, added a fading, rainbow 3-pointer and two free throws for a 90-83 lead with 2:55 to play.

"When you have a couple going in, you always feel hot," Turkoglu said. "By the way, that wasn't a fadeaway 3. That was my normal 3. It was a tough shot though. Like I said, it always feels good and you always think it's the right shot."

Carter scored on a jumper to get New Jersey within five points, but Howard, Turkoglu and Keith Bogans combined for four free throws to push the lead to 94-85.

"We have played through him in the fourth quarter because he has proven this year he is a clutch player," said Keyon Dooling, who added 14 points along with Maurice Evans. "So we ride him in the fourth quarter, because not only can he score, but he can create shots for other people. He's a unique player. He's 6-10 and can shoot the ball, handle it, pass it and post up. He's one of the most versatile players in the league and everybody is seeing it now." Josh Boone had 12 points and 11 rebounds for New Jersey, which gave up 32 fourth-quarter points in seeing its four-game winning streak at home snapped. "They made plays down the stretch, a bunch of guys," Jefferson said. "I felt like we could have executed a little bit better, but they are a good team. They are a team that has experienced players, and they showed it down the stretch."