Weak Bobcats Still Beat Struggling Magic

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Derek Anderson had 24 points and 10 assists and the strong-shooting Charlotte Bobcats snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 119-108 win over the struggling Orlando Magic on Monday night.

Raymond Felton added 21 points and Gerald Wallace had 20 points and nine assists for the Bobcats, who had a team-record 14 3-pointers and 39 assists.

Charlotte, which came in with the third-worst record in the NBA, had its way with the Magic, who have lost three straight and 10 of 12. Orlando, which is 16-32 since starting 13-4, fell a full game behind idle New York for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference amid speculation about coach Brian Hill's future.

Dwight Howard had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, but 13 of his points came in the fourth quarter when the game was decided. Hedo Turkoglu added 23 points, but the Magic didn't dominant the inside despite what appeared like a big advantage inside going into the game.

Charlotte played its eighth straight game without leading rebounder and shot blocker Emeka Okafor (strained left calf), who normally guards Howard. But Howard took only 11 shots and missed nine free throws.

Howard also struggled on defense. Primoz Brezec scored 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting in his highest scoring game in nearly three months and only his seventh game in double figures this season.

Sean May, in his second game back from a bone bruise in his right knee, added 14 points for the Bobcats, who shot 56 percent - including 14 of 22 from 3-point range.

It was a dramatic improvement from the last meeting with Orlando, when the Bobcats scored 74 points and shot 29 percent in a 32-point loss.

Charlotte, which lost at home to NBA-worst Memphis on Saturday, was never threatened and took the lead for good in the second minute. Wallace scored 11 points in the first quarter and May scored 10 in the second as the Bobcats built a 62-49 halftime lead on 57 percent shooting.

Felton's 3-pointer early in the third quarter made it 70-53, and Charlotte took its first 20-point lead on Adam Morrison's 3 late in the quarter, securing a 2-2 season split against the listless Magic.

Notes:@ Wallace picked up his 12th technical foul of the season early in the fourth quarter when he shoved Pat Garrity after he committed a hard foul on him. Four more technicals and Wallace will be suspended for a game. ... Bobcats G Brevin Knight, plagued by injuries all season, left in the second quarter with a strained left groin and did not return. ... Showing there are still more North Carolina fans than Duke supporters here, Magic guard and former Blue Devil J.J. Redick was booed the first time he touched the ball late in the second quarter, then jeered when he threw up an air ball seconds later.