Magic Wins, but Ewing Sits It Out

Orlando Magic center Patrick Ewing did not play in a game for which he was sound Friday night for the first time in his 17-year NBA career.

Ewing, whose 1,175 games played rank 22nd all-time, didn’t get off the bench during the Magic’s 114-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Orlando, Fla.

“It’s disappointing, but that’s life,” said the 39-year-old Ewing. “I’ve had a great career, you know, but it had to happen some day, if you play long enough.”

Orlando Coach Doc Rivers said he was unaware he was responsible for Ewing’s first DNP-CD, but defended it as the smart tactical play.

“They were small most of the game,” Rivers said. “I thought this was a tough matchup game for Patrick.”

Tracy McGrady had 29 points and nine rebounds, and the Magic held off a fourth-quarter charge. Indiana trailed by 24 late in the third quarter, but cut the deficit to five in the final minute.

Orlando’s Mike Miller had 15 points and six assists in his return from an ankle sprain and bone bruise that sidelined him for three weeks.

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Dallas 108, Boston 82--Michael Finley scored 24 points at Boston as the Mavericks reached their 50th victory at the earliest point in team history.

Dirk Nowitzki had 18 as Dallas improved to 50-22. The Mavericks had won at least 50 games in three other seasons, but the fastest they reached that point was in their 74th game.

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Seattle 79, San Antonio 76--Gary Payton had 19 points and eight assists at Seattle for the SuperSonics, who have won six of seven games.

It was the second consecutive loss for the Spurs after a league-best 13-game winning streak.

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Miami 92, Atlanta 80--Eddie Jones, coming off one of his worst games, scored 16 points at Miami as the Heat ended a four-game losing streak. Jones scored only two points in 38 minutes against Toronto on Wednesday.

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Sacramento 92, Charlotte 87--Chris Webber had 23 points and 12 rebounds at Charlotte, N.C., as the Kings ended the Hornets’ seven-game winning streak. The win was only the Kings’ second in 11 games at Charlotte.

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Detroit 110, Golden State 103--Jerry Stackhouse scored 21 points and five other Piston players scored in double figures at Auburn Hills, Mich. Detroit’s Ben Wallace grabbed 21 rebounds, and blocked three shots. His second block gave him 248 for the season, which broke a franchise record set by Hall of Famer Bob Lanier during the 1973-74 season.

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Minnesota 98, New York 77--Wally Szczerbiak scored 25 points, including a wide-open three-pointer to cap a 17-1 run in the second quarter at New York. Minnesota ended an 11-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden, gaining its first victory in New York since Jan. 16, 1991.

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The Miami Heat put forward Jim Jackson on the injured list because of a sprained right ankle and activated Malik Allen before Friday’s game against Atlanta.... The Seattle SuperSonics signed National Basketball Developmental League MVP Ansu Sesay to a 10-day contract. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 13.9 points for the Greenville Groove.