<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">ORLANDO -- For the first half of Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards, the Magic looked just like the team that came up winless on its recent four game trip to the west coast. They looked disinterested, they played listlessly and they trailed at the intermission. The final 24 minutes were a different tale. During the second half Orlando, for the first time in weeks, decided to play some defense and move the basketball. Consequently, the Magic made the return of Steve Francis successful, defeating the Wizards 106-98 before 13,798 at the TD Waterhouse Centre. "Obviously this was a much needed win," Orlando coach Brian Hill said. "It was a good win that was kind of like Murphy's Law. Everything that could go wrong in the first half did go wrong. But we played very well in the second half and we clamped down on defense." Francis, who was suspended for two games by the Magic for failing to re-enter a game last Wednesday night in Seattle, came off the bench against the Wizards, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight rebounds and handing out seven assists. But this game was about much more than Francis. Orlando needed to break a four-game slide that's been dragging them down like an anchor tied around their necks. And it did so, in large part, because Jameer Nelson came alive in the second half. The second-year guard, who has been the Magic's best player over the past month, scored 19 of his team-high 22 points in the second half. He scored 13 third quarter points on 6-of-9 shooting, and those points were instrumental in Orlando's erasing of a 51-44 halftime deficit. "Over the past three weeks, I haven't seen a young guy come into this league and play like this," Francis said. "He's been playing great night in and night out. It 's been fun to watch him evolve and grow into a great player." The Magic enjoyed great balance in this victory, placing six players in double figures for just the 11th time this season. Besides Nelson and Francis, DeShawn Stevenson scored 19 points, Tony Battie scored 14, and Hedo Turkoglu and Kelvin Cato scored 10 apiece.</div> http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJour...MAG01011906.htm
