Howard Shows Off New Arsenal

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<font size="2" face="Arial">ORLANDO -- The new-look Dwight Howard, not the new head coach or new big-money free agent, was all the rage in the Orlando Magic's preseason opener Monday night.</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">Showing more shooting range than he did at any point during his first three years with the Magic, Howard nailed three bank shots -- all from nearly 15 feet out -- and hit his first four free throws for the Magic in a 94-93 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Amway Arena. He ended up with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots before being taken out with 7:33 remaining and the Magic up 80-72.</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">"You could tell his game has expanded," said Rashard Lewis, who had only eight points in a little more than 21 minutes in his Magic debut. "It's not just dunking the ball. He's shooting the left-handed layups and right-handed bank shot. He's learning how to get that touch around the rim."</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">"He was a dominant guy out there," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "But I thought he could have had 40 or 50. There were so many times he was open in the paint and we missed him."</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">That was far from the only complaint Van Gundy had in his first time on the sidelines in a game since December 2005. The Magic were supposed to be more of a running team than they were last season under Brian Hill, but they were outscored 20-7 on fast-break points by the Hawks. On top of that, Van Gundy said the Magic were undisciplined in what he called "a ridiculous display of defense" in the second half.</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">"Our team did not look like they want to run," he said. "They looked, to me, like a team that wants to walk up and run sets. I did not see energy. I did not see much of anything we had worked on offensively the first week, quite honestly."</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">Lewis went only 3-of-9 in the first half and came down with a cramp in his right leg early in the third quarter. He was held out the rest of the way as a precautionary measure but should be able to play Wednesday night against Charlotte.</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">"I didn't step on anybody's foot," Lewis said. "It just started cramping up. It started with my calf muscle. And when my Achilles locked up on me, that's the thing that made me a little bit nervous."</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">Howard was the only Magic starter to score more than eight points. Jameer Nelson had only six points but was not guilty of any of the Magic's 16 turnovers.</font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">"Those numbers aren't great," Van Gundy said of the turnovers. "But they're not awful."</div></font></p>

<font size="2" face="Arial">Source: News Journal-Online</font></p>
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