THE GREATEST SCORER IN THE N.B.A. PUT IT DOWN SOMETHING MAJOR TODAY.MAC DID'NT EVEN PLAY 3 TOTAL QUARTERS,AS THE MAGIC GOT ANOTHER VICTORY TO IMPROVE THEIR CHANCES AT A HIGHER PLAYOFF SEEDING.IF THE MAGIC GIT TO A TOP 5 SEED,LOOK FOR MC GRADY TO PUT SOME HEAT ON GARNETT AND DUNCAN FOR M.V.P.!!!
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ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- For more than a half, Tracy McGrady was beating the Denver Nuggets all by himself.
McGrady set team records for points in a quarter and half, finishing with 43 in less than three periods and leading the Orlando Magic to a 111-98 victory over the Nuggets.
The NBA's leading scorer, McGrady was even more than his usual unstoppable self. In just 31 minutes, he made 13-of-24 shots, including 6-of-12 3-pointers - many of them well beyond the arc.
"I just wanted to become a better 3-point shooter and worked extremely hard in extending my range, as well as other things in my game," McGrady said. "It's paid off this season and I'm not going to stop. I'm not satisfied."
"As a defender, you don't think the guy's going to take the shot from there," Orlando coach Doc Rivers said.
McGrady also sank 11-of-14 free throws, with six of those coming on fouls while shooting 3-pointers.
"Anytime you're going to the foul line to shoot three free throws, you know you've got their attention," said Magic forward Pat Garrity, an excellent long-range shooter himself.
McGrady lit up the Nuggets for 25 points in the second quarter and 37 in the first half. The quarter total eclipsed the 21 scored by Brooks Thompson on March 19, 1996. The half total surpassed the 34 scored by Shaquille O'Neal on April 20, 1994.
While getting run out of the TD Waterhouse Centre, the Nuggets could barely stay ahead of McGrady. Three free throws by the superstar swingman gave him 34 points and the Magic a 60-32 lead. He closed the half with a 3-pointer.
"There were times he was shooting two feet from the 3-point line and making them," Nuggets forward Marcus Camby said. "There was pretty much nothing you could do."
The Nuggets didn't overtake McGrady for good until a layup by Juwan Howard at the 9:40 mark of the third quarter gave them 38 points.
"I came in at halftime and was kind of puzzled," Magic guard Darrell Armstrong said. "I've never been on a team where a guy outscored another team in the first half and still be up by five."
"I've seen a lot," said Magic guard Chris Whitney, who played with Michael Jordan in Washington. "I've heard MJ say that he's going out and get 22 in 18 minutes, get 24 and I thought that was something. Tonight was something else. That was unbelievable."
McGrady scored just six more points before sitting down for good with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter and settling for his eighth 40-point game of the season.
"We simply allowed Tracy to raise uncontested shots and be very comfortable where he received the basketball," Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "He did whatever he wanted to."
Gordan Giricek scored 21 points and Garrity added 11 for the Magic, who won for the seventh time in nine games and moved one-half game ahead of Milwaukee for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Howard scored 19 points for the Nuggets, who snapped a 14-game losing streak Saturday in Miami.
McGrady scored 12 points in the first quarter as Orlando grabbed a 26-18 lead. In the first five-plus minutes of the second period, he scored 13 of the Magic's 17 points, pushing the advantage to 43-27.
"Whoever they were going to put on me, they were at my mercy because I was just in a rhythm all night," McGrady said. "And once I get into that rhythm, I feel like nobody could stop me."
After going almost a minute without a point, McGrady scored 12 in a 20-5 surge that closed the first half.
"He's a great player," said Giricek, who joined the team in a trade nine games ago. "He's making hard stuff look easy."
"It's just unbelievable," Armstrong said. "You just enjoy the show."
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ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- For more than a half, Tracy McGrady was beating the Denver Nuggets all by himself.
McGrady set team records for points in a quarter and half, finishing with 43 in less than three periods and leading the Orlando Magic to a 111-98 victory over the Nuggets.
The NBA's leading scorer, McGrady was even more than his usual unstoppable self. In just 31 minutes, he made 13-of-24 shots, including 6-of-12 3-pointers - many of them well beyond the arc.
"I just wanted to become a better 3-point shooter and worked extremely hard in extending my range, as well as other things in my game," McGrady said. "It's paid off this season and I'm not going to stop. I'm not satisfied."
"As a defender, you don't think the guy's going to take the shot from there," Orlando coach Doc Rivers said.
McGrady also sank 11-of-14 free throws, with six of those coming on fouls while shooting 3-pointers.
"Anytime you're going to the foul line to shoot three free throws, you know you've got their attention," said Magic forward Pat Garrity, an excellent long-range shooter himself.
McGrady lit up the Nuggets for 25 points in the second quarter and 37 in the first half. The quarter total eclipsed the 21 scored by Brooks Thompson on March 19, 1996. The half total surpassed the 34 scored by Shaquille O'Neal on April 20, 1994.
While getting run out of the TD Waterhouse Centre, the Nuggets could barely stay ahead of McGrady. Three free throws by the superstar swingman gave him 34 points and the Magic a 60-32 lead. He closed the half with a 3-pointer.
"There were times he was shooting two feet from the 3-point line and making them," Nuggets forward Marcus Camby said. "There was pretty much nothing you could do."
The Nuggets didn't overtake McGrady for good until a layup by Juwan Howard at the 9:40 mark of the third quarter gave them 38 points.
"I came in at halftime and was kind of puzzled," Magic guard Darrell Armstrong said. "I've never been on a team where a guy outscored another team in the first half and still be up by five."
"I've seen a lot," said Magic guard Chris Whitney, who played with Michael Jordan in Washington. "I've heard MJ say that he's going out and get 22 in 18 minutes, get 24 and I thought that was something. Tonight was something else. That was unbelievable."
McGrady scored just six more points before sitting down for good with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter and settling for his eighth 40-point game of the season.
"We simply allowed Tracy to raise uncontested shots and be very comfortable where he received the basketball," Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "He did whatever he wanted to."
Gordan Giricek scored 21 points and Garrity added 11 for the Magic, who won for the seventh time in nine games and moved one-half game ahead of Milwaukee for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Howard scored 19 points for the Nuggets, who snapped a 14-game losing streak Saturday in Miami.
McGrady scored 12 points in the first quarter as Orlando grabbed a 26-18 lead. In the first five-plus minutes of the second period, he scored 13 of the Magic's 17 points, pushing the advantage to 43-27.
"Whoever they were going to put on me, they were at my mercy because I was just in a rhythm all night," McGrady said. "And once I get into that rhythm, I feel like nobody could stop me."
After going almost a minute without a point, McGrady scored 12 in a 20-5 surge that closed the first half.
"He's a great player," said Giricek, who joined the team in a trade nine games ago. "He's making hard stuff look easy."
"It's just unbelievable," Armstrong said. "You just enjoy the show."