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NBA

McGrady gets help in another Magic win

ORLANDO -- It's early, but Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek are looking like the best additions to Orlando since Mickey Mouse.

In their third game since coming to the Magic in a trade, the rookies scored 20 points apiece and combined for 18 rebounds as Orlando won its season-high fourth straight by beating the Mavericks 98-93 Tuesday night.

"With the talent we have, you play hard and something good is going to come up," said Gooden, who had 10 rebounds for his second double double with the Magic.

Gooden is averaging 19 points and nine rebounds, and Giricek has 16.7 and 5.7. That is helping Tracy McGrady, who led Orlando with 26 points and seven assists but was frustrated as he struggled to find his shot against the Mavericks' tight defense. He even drew a technical foul in the first half after throwing an elbow.

"This was a night where they did a good job of double-teaming and making me give it up," said McGrady, averaging 7.5 assists over the last four games.

McGrady sank a driving layup to give Orlando a 90-89 lead, then followed with a block of Walt Williams' dunk attempt. Giricek followed with a jumper off a loose ball that put Orlando up by three with 1:10 remaining, and the Magic made all six of its free throws down the stretch as it closed with a 10-4 run.

"We're finishing games," McGrady said. "We're maturing out there each night as the nights go by."

By winning its fourth straight home game, the Magic reached .500 for the first time since Jan. 31. It holds a one-game lead over Washington for the eighth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

Dallas, which had won six straight, got 26 points and seven rebounds from Dirk Nowitzki. Reserve Nick Van Exel added 18 points and Michael Finley 17.

In other news, the Associated Press reported that the Nuggets are expected to release Chris Whitney today so the veteran point guard can sign with the Magic.

Whitney must clear waivers, but it is unlikely any team will pick up the rest of his $3-million salary.

LAKERS 109, CLIPPERS 98: Shaquille O'Neal scored 33 and Kobe Bryant added 32 for the host Lakers. Bryant's streak of games with 40 or more points ended at nine. Lakers coach Phil Jackson missed the game while recuperating from having a kidney stone removed. Corey Maggette scored 22 and Elton Brand had 21 for the Clippers.

CAVALIERS 93, NETS 90: Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 29 as host Cleveland got its first win since the All-Star break. Cleveland nearly blew it in the closing seconds, but Jason Kidd's tying 3-pointer at the horn hit the front of the rim. Nets forward Kenyon Martin left the team to take care of a family matter and missed the game.

KNICKS 102, ROCKETS 95: Latrell Sprewell and Kurt Thomas each stole the ball from Yao Ming on two late possessions as host New York snapped a four-game losing streak. Yao scored 24 and had six rebounds, but his two turnovers were costly. Allan Houston scored 28, Shandon Anderson had 14 and Sprewell and Thomas each added 13 for the Knicks.

KINGS 81, PISTONS 75: Chris Webber scored 19 and hit his final three shots as host Sacramento beat Detroit for the eighth straight time. Webber scored on three straight possessions in the final 90 seconds as the Kings held on for their fourth straight win. Richard Hamilton scored 18 and Ben Wallace had 19 rebounds for Detroit.

BLAZERS 89, HAWKS 86: Rasheed Wallace had 24 points and nine rebounds as Portland held off Atlanta. Portland led by as many as 12 but had to fend off a second-half challenge. The Hawks have lost seven of nine and are 5-24 on the road. Glenn Robinson led them with 24 points.

SPURS 84, HEAT 69: Tim Duncan had 17 points and 10 rebounds as host San Antonio won for the 11th time in 12 games. Three other players scored in double figures for the Spurs, with Malik Rose getting 14, Bruce Bowen 11 and Manu Ginobili 10.

WIZARDS 83, PACERS 78: Michael Jordan scored 25 and Tyronn Lue added 18 points and 11 assists for visiting Washington. Reggie Miller scored 25 for the Pacers, who have lost five straight and eight of 12.

HORNETS: Point guard Baron Davis has resumed limited workouts after arthroscopic knee surgery last month, but he is not expected to return to the lineup until the second week in March.

TIMBERWOLVES: Guard Rod Strickland was issued a citation for a hit-and-run accident involving an unattended vehicle near a Minneapolis nightclub.

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