Howard, Anderson lead Magic over Heat

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02/08/2012 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Anderson scored 27 points, Dwight Howard added 25 and both players had double-doubles to lead the Orlando Magic to a 102-89 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

The Magic made 17 three-pointers and led wire-to-wire, going ahead by as many as 17 and fending off a couple of Miami runs to win for the fourth time in five games.

Anderson, who made five threes and scored 24 points in a big first half, added 11 rebounds and Howard pulled down a game-high 24. Orlando improved to 12-1 this season when scoring at least 100 points.

Dwyane Wade scored 33 points, including 18 in the second quarter, while LeBron James added 17 and 10 assists and Chris Bosh had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Heat had a three-game winning streak snapped and played the first of six in a row on the road.

Miami, down by 17 in the second quarter, got as close as one point in the first minute of the third and was within five midway through. But the Magic used a 12-0 run to push their lead back to 17 and carried a 77-61 advantage into the fourth.

It climbed to 19 twice early in the fourth. In a key series later on, after Miami pulled within nine, J.J. Redick missed two straight three-pointers for the Magic. But Howard rebounded the first and the second went out of bounds off the Heat.

Jameer Nelson, who scored 12, then knocked down a three from the left side and the Heat were never within single digits in the final three-plus minutes of the game.

One of Anderson's five first half three-pointers gave the Magic a 17-point lead at 44-27 in the second quarter. Later, the Heat closed the half on a 12-2 run to cut a 13-point deficit to three at halftime, 53-50.

Wade scored 18 of his 22 first half points in the second quarter and the Heat shot 70 percent in the frame. James added 15 points in the half while Howard had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Orlando.

Miami had a hard time keeping Howard away from the rim in the first quarter, when he had 10 boards. Twice he finished up someone's miss with a slam dunk in transition, giving the Magic a six-point lead both times. They were up 26-18 going into the second quarter.

Game Notes

Anderson ended 5-of-11 on three-pointers and the Magic were 17-of-42 as a team...The teams split four meetings in each of the last two seasons...The Heat will also play Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Indiana and Cleveland on their road trip. They are just 7-5 away from home this season...Orlando is 1-1 on a three-game homestand and is in the midst of a stretch where it plays six of seven games inside its own building.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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