Magic’s Howard sets rebound mark

On the night Miami retired Alonzo Mourning’s number, Orlando’s big man wrecked the party.

Dwight Howard scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, passing Wilt Chamberlain as the youngest NBA player to reach the 5,000-board mark, and the Magic kept its grip on the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference by beating the Heat, 101-95, on Monday night.

As for Mourning, his friends and family took bets on whether he’d cry at the halftime celebration, and he insisted he wouldn’t. He was wrong.

“Just eight short years ago, eight short years ago, I didn’t envision this moment happening,” Mourning said, moments after the banner bearing his name and No. 33 was raised. “This is probably one of the greatest moments of my life.”