Orlando Magic

That shell-shocked Magic team in disbelief of the funk its now in finally showed some life in the fourth quarter Wednesday, slicing an 18-point down to two points twice. But in the end, all they were left with was a frustrating 108-103 loss to Toronto.

As the final seconds of 2009 ticked away last week and a new year was ushered in, Orlando Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins couldn't help but think of one thing: 2010 is the year that Central Florida and the Magic will welcome the Amway Center.

Facing a Pacers team that was without four injured players and had lost nine of its last 10 games -- including a 43-point drubbing last week the Magic remarkably looked like a mess most of the night as they suffered an unsightly 97-90 loss to struggling

The Orlando Magic sliced a 15-point deficit to three with 27 seconds to play, but couldn't get any closer in a somewhat troubling 101-93 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Saturday night.

The Magic used a 33-point fourth quarter, one fueled by six 3-pointers in the final 12 minutes, to run past the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-94 in the first game of a three-game roadtrip for Orlando.

The third returns of the All-Star balloting revealed on Thursday that Magic superstar center Dwight Howard is fourth overall in votes and tops among all centers with 1,479,625 votes.

The Magic erupted for a franchise-best 78.4 percent shooting performance (29-of-37) in the second half as they erased an eight-point halftime deficit and claimed a 117-92 home victory over the Bucks on Wednesday.

In an effort to try and reduce some of the mental wear and tear that coaching puts on him, Stan Van Gundy made a vow this season to put down the clicker and either get outside or get out of his hotel room at least once a day.

Vince Carter knows that the Magic traded for him with one thing in mind: Winning a championship. And playing on a team where there are so many weapons and one that has a legitimate chance to contend for a title seems to have re-energized him.

Within minutes of the Magic's 86-77 Christmas loss to the Celtics, several players quickly scurried from the locker room, eager to spend time with their families and put the defeat out of their heads. Not Magic center Dwight Howard.

In so many ways, the Magic and Celtics seem headed on a collision course again come playoff time. While both sides have downplayed the importance of the regular-season games, clearly the nation is interested.

Orlando Magic superstar center Dwight Howard ranks fourth among NBA players in total all-star votes and appears to be well on his way to earning a third consecutive start in the NBA All-Star Game.