During each Magic home game, the Baseline Blog will bring you closer to the action - both on and off the court - at Amway Arena. Logon at game time and follow the action throughout the night as we'll be blogging with new updates every 5-7 minutes during the game.

By Matthew Gardner | OrlandoMagic.com

Locked in a crazy playoff race with less than a month remaining in the regular season, the Orlando Magic picked up a much-needed Eastern Conference victory on Friday night, defeating the New Jersey Nets, 90-82. With the win, the Magic move past the Nets for sole possession of the No. 7 seed.

Before the game, New Jersey held the No. 7 spot with the Magic a half game back. But despite some poor shooting and a fair share of turnovers, the Magic showed they were ready to take over that No. 7 spot in the playoff race early on and trailed by only four points at halftime.

By the end of the third quarter, Orlando had tied the game and then took control in the fourth - thanks in large part to some stellar play by Jameer Nelson. Nelson finished the game with 22 points - with most of his points coming in the second half.

Grant Hill added 11 points for Orlando, while Hedo Turkoglu had 11 and Dwight Howard added 10 points to go along with 16 rebounds. The Magic destroyed the Nets in the rebounding column, outrebounding New Jersey, 54-37.

FOURTH QUARTER
Fourth starts with a big dunk by Milicic, but Kidd hits a three at the other end to put New Jersey ahead by a point. Rookie Josh Boone is fouled by Turkoglu and heads to the line. He misses the first, but knocks down the second and New Jersey's lead is four, 52-48. Milicic then dunks back a missed tip back by Turkoglu and it's back to a two-point game. An errant shot from Jefferson leads to a Magic fastbreak and Turkoglu finishes with a bucket to tie the game. But Boone gets the ball inside, hits the basket and draws a foul. He hits the free throw and the lead is back to one, 66-65. But Arroyo hits another basket and its a one-point Magic lead. However, Kidd then hits a layup and is fouled by Arroyo. He goes to the line for one and makes it. Boone is called for goaltending on an Arroyo attempt and the game is tied once again with 8:50 left.

Boone goes to the line again after a foul on Dooling. He misses the first and hits the second. New Jersey leads by one, 70-69. Turkoglu misses a long two and Boone is once again fouled while going to the basket. This time, the rookie barely draws iron on the first, but again hits the second. Nelson misses a jumper for Orlando, but the Magic get a break as a Nets turnover leads to a layup by Ariza to tie it up. Carter has his shot squated away by Ariza, but Howard is then called for a foul on Jefferson. R.J. misses the first, along with the second. Nelson gets in the lane and lays one in, but New Jersey keeps the ball alive at the other end with a pair of offensive layups that lead to Carter being sent to the line. Vinsanity hits both to tie the game with 6:23 left. Hill misses a jumper, but New Jersey turns it over at the other end. Nelson again gets alone under the basket to give Orlando a 75-73 lead with 5:38 remaining.

After a timeout, Kidd misses a three but Carter grabs the offensive board. However, his layup attempt falls short. Nelson then hits a long two, but Jefferson gets down the floor for a quick layup. Magic lead, 77-75. Nelson is fouled by Kidd as he's going up for a shot. Nelson hits both free throws and Orlando's lead is four at the 3:47 mark. New Jersey then turns over the ball, but Hill is called for a charge on Carter and the Nets get the ball back. Coach Brian Hill is called for a technical, but Kidd misses the free throw effort. Jefferson then misses on his drive in the paint and is called for a foul on Howard. The Magic All-Star is 3-of-6 at the line tonight and his first attempt on this trip doesn't fall. His second effort is good and Orlando's lead is five, 80-75, with 3:21 left. Carter feeds Jefferson in the paint for a dunk and it's a three-point game.

Turkoglu heads to the line after a Kidd foul. He hits both free throws and Orlando leads by five with 1:59 remaining. Carter misses a three attempt, but Collins is fouled by Howard while going for the rebound. He hits 1-of-2 and it's still a two-possession game. Ariza misses on his drive to the basket, but New Jersey turns over the ball with 1:10 left. Turkoglu goes back to the line to shoot two. He makes both and Orlando now has a six-point lead, 84-78.

Carter picks up a foul on Ariza and heads to the line with 1:06 on the clock. He makes the first free throw and the second and Orlando's lead is four, 84-80. Nelson then hits a long two with 44.5 seconds left to give the Magic a six-point lead in the final minute. Kidd misses on a jumper, Nelson rebounds and passes to Hill. Magic call timeout with an 86-80 lead and the ball with 30.5 seconds left. Magic in bounds to Dooling and he is fouled. Dooling hits both free throws. Carter makes a layup with 21.3 left. Magic lead, 88-82. Eddie House fouls Nelson. The Magic point guard hits the first, making it a three-possession game and essentially icing a win for Orlando. The second free throw also falls. Orlando leads by eight with 20.2 left and are going to pick up a giant Eastern Conference win - taking over sole possession of the No. 7 seed.

Final: Orlando Magic 90, New Jersey Nets 82

THIRD QUARTER
Magic shoot only 35 percent in the first half, led by Grant Hill's 10 points. Jameer Nelson added seven, while Trevor Ariza and Hedo Turkoglu each had five. The Nets shot 41 percent through two quarter and were led by a 13-point effort from All-Star Vince Carter, in addition to 10 points from Richard Jefferson.

Carter strikes first in the second half, launching a shot over some tight Orlando defense for a bucket. Carter then gets loose and hits a three as New Jersey's lead grows to eight, 46-38, in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Carter continues his scoring streak by making it to the free throw line and hitting 1-of-2. It's now a nine-point New Jersey lead. Orlando gets its first field goal of the second half as Nelson finds Battie under the basket for a dunk. Hill then adds a jumper and Orlando moves back within four, 47-43. But Jefferson nails a three to move the deficit back to seven, 50-43. Mikki Moore hits a pair of free throws, but Orlando comes right back with a Battie jump shot. Nelson then adds a layup to keep Orlando within five, 52-47, at the 5:59 mark.

Following a timeout, Jefferson buries a jumper over Turkoglu, but Howard's hook shot keeps the Magic within five. Howard adds another shot and it's a three-point game, 54-51. The Magic commit their 14th turnover of the night and that leads to a 3-on-1 fastbreak that ends with a Moore dunk on a pass from Kidd. New Jersey had another fastbreak opportunity, but Carter missed on his dunk attempt.

Darko Milicic gets his first point of the night, hitting 1-of-2 free throws from the charity stripe. After Clifford Robinson hit 1-of-2 free throws, Carlos Arroyo gets in the lane for a layup as the Magic pull within three, 57-54. But Carter is fouled and hits both free throws. He now has 21 points as the Nets again lead by five points. Milicic does a nice spin move lay in to keep it a one-possession game. Arroyo is fouled and goes to the line where he makes both free throws and Orlando is within a point of the lead. Carter is called for an offensive foul, sending Arroyo again to the line with 6.2 seconds left in the quarter. Arroyo hits 1-of-2 to tie the game as the quarter ends.

End of Third Quarter: Orlando Magic 59, New Jersey 59

SECOND QUARTER
Magic start the quarter with a layup from Keyon Dooling and take a two-point lead. Eddie House hits a three as New Jersey take a 24-23 lead. Dwight misses a pair of free throws, but get the ball back after Marcus Williams is called for a travel. Ariza puts back a Turkoglu miss and Orlando regains the lead, 25-24. But Richard Jefferson hits a three as the Nets go up, 27-25. Jefferson hits another and it's a 29-25 Nets lead.

Dooling is fouled and goes to the line. He hits both free throws to pull Orlando back within two at the 5:46 mark in the first half. Hill then hits a jumper to tie the game, 29-29. But Eddie House knocks down a three for New Jersey and the Magic fail to respond as Hill misses on a jumper. Carter then makes a move on the baseline and dunks it down. New Jersey leads, 34-29. Another bucket from New Jersey, but Magic stay within five on a Howard dunk. Just 2:17 left until the half.

Hill adds a bucket after the timeout, followed by a layup from Nelson and the Magic is back within a point. But Antoine Wright hits a jumper to take the three-point lead. Jefferson then adds a three on the next New Jersey possession. Ariza puts back a Turkoglu miss in the final seconds, but New Jersey leads by four at the half.

Halftime: New Jersey Nets 41, Orlando Magic 37

FIRST QUARTER
Magic get the opening tip, but Jameer Nelson turns over the ball while trying to find Dwight Howard inside. At the other end, Jason Kidd hits a two for New Jersey. Hedo Turkoglu misses a jumper on the Magic's next possession and the Magic are called for a shot-clock violation on possession No. 3. The Magic finally get on the board as Grant Hill reverses a layup and the Magic trail 4-2. But Mikki Moore hits a long jumper and Vince Carter hits a three as the Nets go up, 9-2. Nelson then hits a three to bring Orlando within four, but Carter gets another layup for an 11-5 New Jersey lead. Hill then gets a feed from Turkgolu and puts it in four two. Turkoglu then banks one off the glass as the Magic pull within two, 11-9. And the Magic follow by tying the game at 11 as Nelson finds Hill open in the lane for a dunk.

A back-and-forth battle has kept it a close game and a Turkoglu three-pointer gives Orlando an 18-17 lead. The Magic grab a 20-19 lead with 6.3 seconds left and Trevor Ariza goes to the line to shoot two. He misses the first, but hits the second. Carter dunks one down with 2.0 left in the quarter and it's a tie after one period.

End of First Quarter: Orlando Magic 21, New Jersey Nets 21

PREGAME
Tonight's Inactives: Orlando Magic - James Augustine, Travis Diener, Pat Garrity; New Jersey Nets - Mile Ilic, Nenad Krstic, Clifford Robinson

Tonight's Starters
Orlando Magic - Dwight Howard, Tony Battie, Hedo Turkoglu, Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson
New Jersey Nets - Richard Jefferson, Mikki Moore, Jason Collins, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd

Complete Magic Game Notes (PDF)

INJURY REPORT
none

LAST GAME:
Mar. 21 @ Toronto – Raptors 92, Magic 85: Chris Bosh tallied 34 points and 16 rebounds, as Toronto defeated Orlando, 92-85, at Air Canada Centre. T.J. Ford tallied 16 points and 12 assists for the Raptors, who were without Anthony Parker, Jose Calderon and Andreas Bargnani due to injury. Grant Hill led the Magic with 24 points, while Dwight Howard tallied 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. However, Howard was just 5-of-13 from the free throw line. Orlando shot just 37.3 percent from the floor and missed 13 free throw attempts. Toronto led by as many as 13 points and never trailed during the contest. The Raptors outrebounded the Magic, 55-38.

RECENT GAMES:
Mar. 18 @ Miami – Magic 97, Heat 83: Five Magic players scored in double figures, led by Hedo Turkoglu’s 20 points, as Orlando defeated Miami, 97-83, at AmericanAirlines Arena. The win snapped the Magic’s five-game road losing streak and the Heat’s nine-game winning streak. Dwight Howard had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Darko Milicic tallied 12 points and 10 boards. Shaquille O’Neal led the Heat with 20 points. Orlando shot 50 percent from the floor and led for most of the contest. They jumped out to an early 28-16 advantage after the first quarter and never looked back, leading by as many as 21 points. The Magic outrebounded Miami, 44-34, including 14-9 on the offensive glass.

Mar. 17 vs. Sacramento – Kings 95, Magic 83: Sacramento overcame a 12-point second half deficit and defeated Orlando, 95-83, at Amway Arena. The Kings outscored the Magic during the second half, 53-31. Kevin Martin went 17-of-20 from the free throw line and led the Kings with 20 points, while Ron Artest had 19 points, five boards and five assists. Jameer Nelson led all scorers with 23 points, but was just 2-of-10 from the field after starting the game 5-of-5. The Kings won despite shooting just 33.8 percent from the field. They were 42-of-48 from the free throw line, compared to Orlando’s 20-of-25. The Magic led 25-21 after the first quarter, 52-42 at halftime and by as many as 13 points during the first half, but could not seal the deal.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Mar. 23 vs. New Jersey (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 37-33 all-time vs. New Jersey (19-14 at home, 16-19 on the road, 2-0 at Tokyo, Japan) during regular season play, including 1-2 this season (see recaps below)…Orlando went 0-3 last season against the Nets...The Magic have lost 10 of the last 16 games with the Nets…The Magic have lost eight of the last 11 matchups in Orlando, and eight of the last 15 at The Meadowlands…Head Coach Brian Hill was an assistant coach with the Nets for one-plus season (January 2004-05) and was born/raised in East Orange, N.J....Assistant Coach John Kuester served in the same capacity during the 2004-05 campaign with the Nets…Assistant Coach Mark Bryant spent four seasons at Seton Hall (1984-88)…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. New Jersey, see p. 269 of the media guide…Jan. 20 @ New Jersey – Nets 101, Magic 94: Orlando surged out to a 48-38 halftime lead, but the Nets outscored the Magic 31-20 in the third quarter en route to a 101-94 victory at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey. Eddie House scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth, and the Nets held Dwight Howard to a season-low one point in the victory. Vince Carter led all scorers with 27, 10 coming during in the fourth quarter alone, while Jason Kidd added 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Hedo Turkoglu reached a season-high with 24 points for the undermanned Magic, while the Orlando bench chipped in 48 points. J.J. Redick scored a career-best 13 points off the bench…Feb. 2 vs. New Jersey – Magic 119, Nets 86: Seven Magic players scored in double figures, led by Hedo Turkoglu’s 22 points, as Orlando routed New Jersey, 119-86, at a sold-out Amway Arena. The 119 points were the most scored by the Magic this season. Dwight Howard tallied 19 points and nine rebounds, while Darko Milicic had 14 points. Tony Battie recorded a double-double with 11 points and a season-high-tying 10 boards, while rookie J.J. Redick tied a career-best with 13 points. Vince Carter paced the Nets with 25 points. Orlando shot a season-best 62.5 percent from the floor and dished out 28 assists. The Magic led from start to finish and by as many as 36 points…Feb. 10 @ New Jersey – Nets 93, Magic 78: Marcus Williams scored 12 points off the bench and Vince Carter netted a game-high 32 points to lead New Jersey past Orlando, 93-78, at Continental Airlines Arena. Dwight Howard had another strong performance, connecting on 11-of-15 shots from the field for 25 points, but it wasn’t enough to contain the Nets, who extended their winning streak to three in a row. Williams provided the spark to put away the Magic, scoring the final six points for New Jersey in the third quarter, then orchestrating a 15-8 run to open up the fourth. Both teams each had only three players reach double figures, as Jason Kidd joined Carter and Williams for New Jersey with 10 points, while Darko Milicic (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Jameer Nelson (14 points) helped Howard pace Orlando.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. NETS: 50 pts., Nick Anderson (@ New Jersey, 4-23-93)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 41 pts., Kendall Gill (@ New Jersey, 1-13-97)

NEXT OPPONENTS:
Mar. 26 @ New York (New York, NY): Orlando is 33-36 all-time vs. New York (19-16 at home, 14-20 on the road) during the regular season, including 0-2 this season (see recaps below)…The Magic went 3-1 last season against the Knicks...Orlando has won five of the last nine meetings and 13 of the last 23 overall in the series...The Magic have won three of the last four outings at home, and won six of the last 10 at MSG…Trevor Ariza spent the first 116 games of his NBA career with the Knicks, before being acquired on Feb. 22, 2006…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. New York, see p. 273 of the media guide…Feb. 20 @ New York – Knicks 100, Magic 94: David Lee came off the bench to tally 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, as New York defeated Orlando, 100-94, at Madison Square Garden. Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford each scored 20 points for the Knicks, who had five players scored in double figures. Dwight Howard led all scorers with 27 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and had three blocked shots. New York shot 49.2 percent from the field, but committed 22 turnovers. The Magic could not capitalize, shooting just 42.4 percent, while committing 16 turnovers of their own.…Feb. 3 vs. New York – Knicks 94, Magic 86: Eddy Curry poured in a game-high 27 points, as New York defeated Orlando, 94-86, at a sold-out Amway Arena. New York shot 50 percent from the floor and ended the Magic’s brief two-game winning streak. Channing Frye scored 18 points for the Knicks, while Stephon Marbury added 14 points. Darko Milicic led the Magic with a career-high 19 points off the bench. New York led 23-18 after the first quarter, then outscored Orlando during the second period, 26-16. They led by as many as 17 points during the second half. The Magic made a late run cut the deficit to 92-86 with 53.1 seconds left, but it was too little, too late. Curry had 12 points during the fourth quarter alone and the Knicks left with a win.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. KNICKS: 41 pts., Shaquille O’Neal (@ Orlando, 2-28-95; @ Orlando, 2-5-95; @ New York, 11-10-94)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 39 pts., John Starks (@ New York, 1-4-94)

Mar. 28 @ Boston (Boston, MA): Orlando is 32-38 all-time vs. Boston in regular season action (23-12 at home, 9-26 on the road), including 2-0 this season (see recaps below)…The Magic went 3-1 last season against the Celtics...The Magic are 3-1 vs. the Celtics in the playoffs (1-1 at home, 2-0 on the road, 1995 first round series)...Orlando has won five of the last six matchups with the Celtics…Orlando has won six of the last eight and 13 of the last 17 meetings at home...The Magic snapped an eight-game road losing streak in the series on Nov. 28, 2005 (87-83), but the Celtics have won nine of the last 11 matchups in Boston…Orlando defeated Boston in the last game ever played at the Boston Garden, 95-92, on May 5, 1995...Tony Battie was with Boston for five-plus seasons (1998-2003) before being traded to Cleveland (Dec. 15, 2003)…Assistant Coach John Kuester coached at Boston University from 1981-85, including two seasons as head coach from 1983-85…He then spent seven seasons with the Celtics (1990-97), including two as an assistant coach from 1995-97…Assistant Coach Mark Bryant spent time with Boston during his playing career…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Boston, see p. 237 of the media guide…Nov. 13 @ Boston – Magic 92, Celtics 89: Jameer Nelson scored a game-high 24 points, as Orlando defeated Boston, 92-89, at TD Banknorth Garden. Nelson was 11-of-17 from the floor and also dished out seven assists. Grant Hill netted 18 points, while Dwight Howard recorded 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 21 points, but was 6-of-20 from the floor. Orlando shot 53.5 percent from the floor. Boston shot 38.3 percent from the field, but was 7-of-14 from three-point range. Five of the Celtics’ trifectas came during the fourth quarter. Boston took an 84-83 advantage after a layup by Kendrick Perkins with 2:35 left. Hill and the Magic answered with a tough layup on the next possession to regain the lead, 85-84. Nelson scored five of Orlando’s last six points to help seal the win, including a key jumper with 12 ticks remaining…Jan. 7 vs. Boston – Magic 87, Celtics 79: Grant Hill poured in a game-high-tying 21 points and pulled down eight boards, as Orlando defeated Boston, 87-79, at Amway Arena. The game was marred by a combined 79 free throw attempts and 40 turnovers. Dwight Howard tallied 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, while Tony Battie recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Allen led the Celtics with 21 points, nine boards and seven steals. Both teams struggled from the floor – Orlando shot 37.5 percent, while Boston shot just 31.5 percent. The Magic led from start to finish, leading by as many as 17 points during the first half.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. CELTICS: 44 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Orlando, 1-16-04)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 46 pts., Larry Bird (@ Orlando, 3-16-90)