Magic muscle past Cavs

McGrady's 31 help Orlando conquer Cleveland

? Not even a restless newborn daughter can slow down Tracy McGrady.

The Orlando forward returned from a one-game absence and overcame a sleepless night to score 31 points, grab 12 rebounds and hit three crucial free throws in Orlando’s 113-108 victory against Cleveland.

McGrady missed Sunday’s 91-83 loss at Boston to be with his fiancee, who gave birth to their daughter, Layla Clarice. It hasn’t taken long for McGrady to get a lesson in fatherhood.

“Yeah, I’m a little bit tired,” said McGrady, who played 38 minutes in notching his ninth double-double of the year. “She was waking up every hour last night. We’ve got to try to break in that system where she sleeps at night. But everything is good. She’s feeling good, I’m good. It’s great.”

McGrady was 15-of-18 from the free-throw line, including 3-of-4 in the final 13.7 seconds. He had 14 points in the fourth quarter, going 8-for-10 at the line, and scored at least 30 points for the sixth consecutive game.

“We didn’t care (he was fatigued) because he’s had four days off,” Magic coach Doc Rivers said. “The number 38 is not a bad amount of minutes for him. If we could keep it at that, it would be nice.”

After McGrady’s two free throws put Orlando ahead 112-108 with 13.7 seconds left, Cleveland called a timeout. Smush Parker’s three-point attempt was off and McGrady was fouled. He hit one of two shots with 2.7 seconds left for the final margin.

Cleveland fell to 3-22 on the road and is 1-3 under new coach Keith Smart, who lost his coaching debut to Orlando, 103-94, on Jan. 21.

“We played against a team that’s seasoned and our guys are playing with a new identity and with a defensive presence,” Smart said. “We had a chance to win the ballgame. A break here or an offensive rebound there could’ve helped us. We were very fortunate to be in the ballgame, let alone be close enough to win the game.”

Orlando's Jacque Vaughn (11), a Kansas University product, loses the ball under pressure from Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Magic beat the Cavaliers, 113-108, Wednesday night in Orlando, Fla.

Mike Miller finished with 21 points for Orlando despite going just 8-of-22 from the field. He is a combined 10-for-40 from the floor in the last two games.

The Magic got 16 from reserve Darrell Armstrong and 12 from Pat Garrity.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Cavaliers before fouling out with 3:43 remaining. Parker had a season-high 21 points, Ricky Davis 16 and Jumaine Jones 14.

Hawks 97, 76ers 83

Philadelphia — Glenn Robinson scored 33 points and Shareef Abdur-Rahim added 20 points and 14 rebounds, leading Atlanta.

Allen Iverson had 37 points and Eric Snow added 11 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds for the Sixers, who have lost four straight at home.

Atlanta, which had lost seven of nine, won for just the fourth time on the road in 22 games.

Nets 86, Wizards 78

East Rutherford, N.J. — Kenyon Martin had 19 points and a career-high 21 rebounds and Anthony Johnson led the Nets on a game-changing run after Jason Kidd left because of an injury.

Richard Jefferson added 24 points for the Nets, who held Michael Jordan to eight points — his lowest-scoring game ever at the Meadowlands.

Johnson had 10 points and five assists after Kidd strained his groin late in the third quarter. Johnson replaced Kidd with 3:22 left and hit his first shot 17 seconds later, a 16-footer that cut Washington’s lead to 57-55. Johnson added a layup and an assist as New Jersey closed the quarter with a 6-0 run for a 65-59 lead, then scored the first five points of the fourth.

Heat 82, Knicks 80

Miami — Travis Best was the only Miami starter not to score in double figures but he scored the last five points of the game, including a running jumper with 4.5 seconds left. Best finished with nine points and 10 assists and Eddie Jones scored 22 points after shooting 7-for-11 from the floor for the Heat.

Best hit a three-pointer with 40.1 seconds left to tie the game at 80, and after Kurt Thomas was called for an offensive foul on the Knicks’ next possession, Best made the winning jumper.

Spurs 106, Pacers 97

Indianapolis — Tony Parker scored 28 points to lead six San Antonio players in double figures as the Spurs snapped Indiana’s 14-game home winning streak.

Stephen Jackson had 18 points and a crucial steal that held off an Indiana rally in the fourth quarter. The Pacers trailed by as many as 17 in the period, but cut the deficit to six before Jackson’s steal and dunk made the score 100-92 with 1:22 to play.

San Antonio, bolstered by the return of David Robinson from the injured list, scored 10 consecutive points to build a double-digit lead in the second quarter that it never relinquished.

Hornets 104, Raptors 83

New Orleans — David Wesley scored 25 points and Robert Pack added 18 points and 11 assists to lead New Orleans.

P.J. Brown added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Jamal Mashburn scored 11 for the Hornets, who snapped a two-game skid by beating Toronto for the third straight time.

Voshon Lenard, coming off the bench, led Toronto with 16 points. Vince Carter, who sparked Toronto to a victory over Sacramento on Sunday, scored 13 points but only three in the second half.

Jazz 95, Trail Blazers 71

Salt Lake City — Karl Malone had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Utah beat Portland in the Jazz’s first of seven games without suspended coach Jerry Sloan.

Matt Harpring finished with 21 points, including nine in the third quarter as the Jazz rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit and ended Portland’s five-game winning streak.

Mavs 104 Rockets 81

Houston — Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points and Michael Finley added 29 points and hit seven of Dallas’ 15 three-pointers as the Mavericks beat Houston for the third straight time.

Trailing 53-46 at the half, the Mavericks hit eight three-pointers in the third quarter and scored 31 points in the period on their way to improving the NBA’s best road record to 16-6. Finley made three three-pointers during the quarter and converted all six of his free throws after being fouled twice in three-point range. Yao Ming led Houston with 20 points.

Lakers 99, Suns 90

Phoenix — Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers held off a Phoenix rally. Shaquille O’Neal added 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as the Lakers beat a Pacific Division foe away from the Staples Center for the first time this season. Stephon Marbury had 33 points and 10 assists and fellow All-Star Shawn Marion had 18 points for Phoenix.

Clippers 77, Bulls 75

Los Angeles — Corey Maggette scored 25 points and made five free throws down the stretch as the Clippers rallied. Jalen Rose led Chicago with 24 points. Donyell Marshall added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, whose 2-21 road record is the worst in the NBA.