Anderson Steps Up to Lead Depleted Magic Past Hawks

Penny Hardaway didn’t play because of an injury, and Rony Seikaly didn’t play because he was about to be traded. But Nick Anderson played so well, the Orlando Magic won anyway.

Anderson matched a season-high with 28 points as the Magic defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 85-81, Monday night at Atlanta.

“We had a lot of fun tonight,” said Anderson, who made 11 of 21 shots from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and had four assists.

“Everybody played hard, helped each other, and played good defense down the stretch. To hold the Hawks to two buckets in the last six minutes was good. They are a dangerous offensive club.”

Steve Smith led the Hawks with 22 points, while Dikembe Mutombo had 19 points and 19 rebounds. Alan Henderson, starting for the fourth consecutive game, scored 18 points for the Hawks, who have lost three in a row and five of their last seven.

Danny Schayes, who started in place of Seikaly, had 10 points and 13 rebounds as the Magic ended a four-game losing streak in Atlanta.

Utah 96, Charlotte 90--Karl Malone had 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Jazz won their fifth consecutive game, despite making a trade 10 minutes before tipoff at Salt Lake City.

Greg Foster and Chris Morris, who were traded to Orlando along with Utah’s 1998 first-round draft pick, both left the floor only moments before the national anthem.

“We didn’t know a thing about it,” Adam Keefe said. “They just told two guys to take their clothes off.”

The trade left the Jazz with 10 players in uniform. Rookie William Cunningham, a 6-foot-11 center playing his first game in the Delta Center after signing a 10-day contract on Saturday, started in Foster’s place.

Even with its lack of depth, the Jazz bench outscored Charlotte’s, 31-7. Howard Eisley scored 11 points for Utah and Bryon Russell had 10.

New Jersey 103, Milwaukee 92--Kerry Kittles scored 19 points and the Nets won their fifth consecutive game by beating the turnover-plagued Bucks at East Rutherford, N.J.

The winning streak is the Nets’ longest in two years, and New Jersey (31-21) is 10 games over .500 for the first time since April 1993.