NBA

The Magic breaks out of its funk

ORLANDO - Steve Francis scored 11 of his 28 in the fourth quarter, including a deciding 17-footer with 17 seconds left, to help the Magic beat the Hawks 101-96 Thursday night.

Hedo Turkoglu added 24 points and rookie Dwight Howard had 15 points and 20 rebounds for Orlando, which had lost four of its past five. Howard became the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1997-98 to record two 20-rebound games in a season. "That's just a scratch of what he could do for us night in and night out," Francis said. "He was a monster down there."

Antoine Walker led Atlanta with 25 points, including a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to cut what had been a 20-point deficit to 97-94. Francis answered with his jumper over Tony Delk.

Before the game, the Magic placed former Florida center and Countryside standout Andrew DeClercq on the injured list with a sore knee.

PISTONS 103, LAKERS 81: Rasheed Wallace had 23 points and a season-high 15 rebounds and Tayshaun Prince scored 25 as host Detroit rolled in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

TORONTO - The troubled Raptors have another problem: Forward Eric Williams wants out.

In the wake of another heated argument between point guard Rafer Alston and coach Sam Mitchell, Williams wants to be traded to a team that will use him.

Before being acquired from New Jersey in the trade for Vince Carter on Dec. 17, Williams averaged 35 minutes. In Toronto, he's averaging 19.9 minutes. But since he was demoted from the starting lineup after a 16-game run as Jalen Rose's replacement, he has barely played, including sitting out the past two games.

Alston and Mitchell argued during halftime of Tuesday's loss against Cleveland. Alston didn't come out of the dressing room for the second half and was seen crying as he was escorted to the team bus. On Wednesday, Alston said Mitchell owed him an apology.

In the last 11 months, the Raptors have fired GM Glen Grunwald and coach Kevin O'Neill and dealt Carter after he demanded out.

KINGS: Center Brad Miller was suspended one game for throwing a brief tantrum at the end of Tuesday's game against the Suns. Guard Mike Bibby was fined $15,000 for yelling at officials, Cuttino Mobley was fined $15,000 for publicly criticizing them, and forward Chris Webber was fined $10,000 for kicking the ball.

PACERS: Guard Reggie Miller, 39, will retire at the end of this season, his sister, Cheryl, reported on TNT. ... The team is donating $2.4-million to 11 Indianapolis charities, money that comes mostly from fines levied against five players for their roles in the November brawl with Pistons fans.

[Last modified February 11, 2005, 00:53:10]