 |
Nelson Returns As Dwight Howard Loads Up
On a team flight recently, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was feverishly working a portable NBA video game.
He had the Magic playing the Chicago Bulls, and, naturally, Dwight Howard was maneuvering the virtual-reality version of Dwight Howard.
Dwight Howard kept making the Dwight Howard on the screen give the ball to his teammate, point guard Jameer Nelson.
Laughed Dwight Howard, "I was trying to get Jameer in shape."
Nelson began the process Tuesday night, finally rejoining Dwight Howard in the Magic's 100-96 home-opening preseason loss against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Waterhouse Centre.
|
Nelson was seeing his first game-action since suffering a concussion Oct. 5 in a scary training-camp collision with Dwight Howard.
Shaking rust like several teammates returning from injury or illness, Nelson finished with 12 points on 6-for-15 shooting and just one assist in 25 minutes.
"Yeah, we're a little rusty out there," Nelson said. "But I was in better condition than I thought I'd be. It felt good just to get back out there."
Dwight Howard filled the box score, accounting for 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and five turnovers in the Magic's first preseason loss.
The reunion of the Mutt & Jeff cornerstones was the first sign of the injury-riddled Magic returning to health.
Small forward Hedo Turkoglu and point guard Carlos Arroyo also made their preseason debuts. Turkoglu had been out with flu-like symptoms and Arroyo with an abdominal strain.
Turkoglu and Arroyo each scored five points, and Keyon Dooling added 15.
Power forward Darko Milicic had five assists -- three to Dwight Howard, as the two big men often worked in concert. But Milicic finished with just four points on 1-for-8 shooting and appeared to be OK after a violent tumble. Center/forward Tony Battie, nursing a sore right knee, was held out. Shooting guard Grant Hill was given the night off.
The Magic had a scare when Milicic landed on his back on the floor. It appeared Shelden Williams nudged him while Milicic was in the air on a shot-block attempt, given he flew backward.
A no-call angered Coach Brian Hill, who protested and received a technical.
"[Williams] lowered his shoulder and ran right through him. Now I might have to lose a player because of a call not being made. So that's what I get upset about. It was a pretty obvious call," Hill said. "Obviously, it wasn't to the official."
Milicic held the right side of his back and hip, hobbling to the locker room.
"I've got some pain, but I don't know what else," Milicic said. "I think he just pushed me away, but I think I'll be fine. I don't know why they didn't call it."
For a team trying to get players back on the floor, it hit a nerve. |
