Gilbert Arenas had 25 points and the Orlando Magic dominated overtime to earn a 111-102 victory that eliminated the host Charlotte Bobcats from playoff contention Wednesday night.
Brandon Bass added 19 points and eight rebounds and Jameer Nelson had 18 points and nine assists for the Magic (50-29). Orlando rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, and then outscored Charlotte 15-6 in the extra frame.
Gerald Henderson led the Bobcats with 32 points, but Charlotte (32-46) needed a victory to keep its postseason hopes alive following Indiana's win over Washington on Wednesday. D.J. Augustin almost won it in regulation for the Bobcats, but missed a well-defended layup at the buzzer.
Charlotte led 81-71 early in the fourth before the Magic went on an 8-0 run that included 3s from Hedo Turkoglu (17 points) and Ryan Anderson.
Things got chippy with the Bobcats ahead 81-79 and 8:30 to play. A charge call on Orlando's Quentin Richardson led to a pair of double-technicals and an individual technical on Richardson, who was ejected.
The Magic's momentum continued, though, as they seized the lead on a Turkoglu runner, 86-84, with 6:31 remaining.
Dwight Howard (15 points, seven rebounds, six blocks) collected a technical in the first half when he tossed the ball after being called for a 10-second violation at the foul line. Unless it is rescinded, the 18h technical this season for Howard means he'll be suspended for Sunday's game against Chicago.
Orlando | Charlotte | |
Gilbert Arenas 25 | Scoring | Gerald Henderson 32 |
Jameer Nelson 9 | Assists | Boris Diaw 7 |
Brandon Bass 8 | Rebounds | Dante Cunningham 10 |
Brandon Bass 7 | Free Throws Made | Gerald Henderson 7 |
Gilbert Arenas 2 | Steals | Boris Diaw 3 |
Dwight Howard 6 | Blocks | Kwame Brown 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Orlando | 111 | 53.9 | 14-35 | 15-18 | 20 | 35 | 10 | 6 | 16 |
Charlotte | 102 | 46.4 | 6-11 | 18-20 | 27 | 33 | 2 | 7 | 13 |