McGrady’s 44 Enough to Put Away Kings

Tracy McGrady knows how to break out of a scoring slump--keep shooting.

McGrady had 44 points--more than double his season average and five short of his career-high--as the Orlando Magic defeated the Sacramento Kings, 115-105, Friday night at Orlando, Fla.

McGrady, who entered the game averaging 20.8 points, scored 15 in the fourth quarter. He shot 14 for 30 from the field and 15 for 20 from the free-throw line.

“It was going to come sooner or later,” said McGrady, who also had 13 rebounds and six assists. “I wasn’t worried about it [the slump]. I’ve got confidence in my game. I was due.”

Orlando (3-3) also got 18 points from Mike Miller in his first action of the season after being activated from the injured list.

The Kings (4-2) were led by Peja Stojakovic’s 31 points, who had only two in the fourth quarter. Doug Christie and Mike Bibby each scored 17.

With Orlando clinging to a five-point lead midway through the final period, McGrady outscored the Kings 10-6 over the next four minutes. His free throws put the Magic up 107-98 with 1:38 left.

Golden State 109, Washington 100--Michael Jordan missed seven consecutive shots in the first half, had a brief flurry late in the third quarter and played on a near-empty tank in the fourth, scoring 32 points as Wizards lost at Washington.

Antawn Jamison scored 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and Larry Hughes also had 26 points to lead the Warriors, who hadn’t won at MCI Center since the building opened in December 1997.

Boston 104, Seattle 94--Paul Pierce scored 35 points, making a career-high eight three-pointers, as the Celtics used a 17-5 fourth-quarter run to win at Boston. Gary Payton had 30 points and 10 assists for the SuperSonics.

Indiana 103, New York 95--Jermaine O’Neal had 22 points and 16 rebounds and Jalen Rose scored 22 as the Pacers rallied from a 20-point first-half deficit to win at Indianapolis.

Denver 108, Houston 81--Isaiah Rider had 28 points and 10 rebounds in his first start of the season and Nick Van Exel also scored 28 at Denver as the Nuggets ended a four-game losing streak.