Hapshoops32's Dynasty Blog
Charlotte, NC (AP) - This didn't necessarily have the feel of a completely dominating performance like usual, but it wasn't exactly close either, as Orlando took Charlotte to task on the road, winning 100-80. The Magic used a strong second half, particularly the fourth quarter, to make sure the Bobcats had no real chance of pulling out the victory. Orlando started off the last quarter with an 8-0 run to expand the lead to 19 and went on to make 11 of 18 shots in the final frame. Charlotte, by comparison could only make 8-20 shots. "We just kept building on our lead every quarter," said Magic forward Brian Happel, "It was all about consistency. We won each quarter, and that led to us winning the game."
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Happel played a physical brand of style, taking it hard to the hoop all night
Happel certainly made it look easy on the court, as usual. "The Captain" scored 35 points, including 20 in the first half. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 5 assists for good measure. The highlight of the night came in the fourth quarter, when Happel dribbled out to the foul line extended, saw a lane to the basket, exploded towards the basket and dunked over to Bobcats defenders. Happel then hung onto the rim for a little bit of emphasis, "I wasn't trying to show anyone up. I just had so much momentum going, I thought I was going to fall flat on my back if I let go right away. It never hurts to be able to send a bit of a message, too. They were jabbering all night and taking some cheap shots at me."
The Magic didn't wait long to break out the pretty plays, here Jackson connected on a sweet alley-oop to Happel
This was the first game the Magic played without Arenas at the point position. Wayne Washington, Cory Coleman and John Salmons all handled the point well, though nobody had a particularly spectacular game. All 3 simply ran the offense. Andray Blatche and Dwight Howard really stepped up their games, however. Howard put together a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Blatche was also very solid down low, adding 21 points and 8 rebounds.
A fraction of a second late, just enough for Happel to throw it down hard past Tyrus Thomas of Charlotte
Gerald Wallace and D.J. Augustin both played well for the Bobcats. Wallace put up 21 points on 9-18 shooting and Augustine poured in 20 points. However, neither could connect on a three-point, combining to go 0-7. Gilberto Oliverio played well off the bench, scoring 12 points on 5-6 shooting. Neither team shot the ball well from behind the arc. In fact, Orlando and Charlotte were awful, combining to go 2-21. However, the Magic did much better from the foul line, hitting on 77% from the charity stripe. The Bobcats barely managed 50% (11-19). Orlando was also strong on the boards, holding a 52-34 advantage for the game. This game wasn't much different than the previous meeting on October 30th:
| Oct 30, 2012 - ORL at CHA | |||||
| TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Orlando Magic () | 28 | 21 | 32 | 35 | 116 |
| Charlotte Bobcats () | 20 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 86 |
| GAME HIGHS | STAT | GAME HIGHS | STAT | ||
 | Points: Brian Happel | 34 |  | >Points: T. Thomas | 24 |
| Rebounds: Brian Happel | 9 | | Rebounds: T. Thomas | 8 |
| Assists: Brian Happel | 12 | | Assists: D.J. Augustin | 4 |