NBA ROUNDUP : O’Neal Scores 53 in Barely Three Quarters

It didn’t matter if it was a dunk, a turnaround jumper or a hook. It seemed like Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t miss and the Minnesota Timberwolves would never find a way to stop him.

O’Neal, who took over the NBA scoring lead from San Antonio’s David Robinson, had 34 in the first half and finished with a league-high 53 Wednesday to lead the Magic to a 121-101 victory at Orlando.

“He just had dunk after dunk after dunk,” Minnesota Coach Sidney Lowe said. “If he gets the ball inside as close as he was getting it, then there’s nothing you can do.”

O’Neal, who sat out the last 9:13 of the game, made 22 of 31 shots and nine of 13 free throws. He also had 18 rebounds and four assists.

Charlotte 117, Washington 111--Dell Curry scored eight points in a 9-0 run in the final minutes as the Hornets kept their playoff hopes alive with a victory at Charlotte.

Alonzo Mourning had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who still trail Miami by 1 1/2 games in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Indiana 109, Cleveland 98--Reggie Miller scored eight of his 29 points in the final four minutes at Indianapolis as the Pacers moved into a tie with the Cavaliers for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Miller had four three-point baskets for Indiana, which has an advantage over the Cavaliers in the first playoff tiebreaker by owning a 3-2 advantage in the season series. Cleveland’s John Williams had 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Milwaukee 103, Detroit 78--Lee Mayberry scored a career-high 19 points as the Bucks ended a nine-game losing streak with a victory over the Pistons in a battle between the Eastern Conference’s two worst teams at Milwaukee.