Magic pick up the win tonight, 101-96. Dwight Howard played exceptionally well tonight, picking up 20 rebounds - becoming the first rookie to pickup two 20 rebound games since Tim Duncan.
The attitude of the team was different tonight. They came out in the first quarter and played hard until the end. It wasn't a perfect game, but it was good effort. Hedo Turkoglu went nuts in the second period, dropping 20 points on the Hawks - including a nice dunk. I thought Grant Hill played a great game. He was quiet - but was making the plays when the team needed him to. The team plays with a lot more confidence when he is on the floor.
Steve Francis was, well, the Franchise. He nailed an awesome jumper at the end of the 1st quarter. Francis finished with 28 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Doug Christie had a couple steals, ok 4 steals, in a good defensive game for him. He also finished with 12 points.
DeShawn Stevenson received a little playing time tonight. I'm not convinced it was Johnny Davis' decision - I think the request came from management. Either way, it was good to see Stevenson playing tonight. The stats won't show it, but he played well - especially on the defensive side. I would really like to see Stevenson play around 10 minutes a game. If not, then you have to trade him or put him on the injured list.
