The New Jersey Nets traded high-scoring guard Vince Carter to the Orlando Magic Thursday in a five-player trade on draft day. Orlando also acquired forward Ryan Anderson, while sending guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston and forward Tony Battie to the Nets. The deal allows New Jersey to clear nearly $18 million in salary cap space for the 2010-11 season. Carter, 32, an Orlando resident, goes back to his home state. Vince gives us a veteran, go-to scoring presence, especially at the end of games, Magic General Manager Otis Smith said.

Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis scored 21 points apiece Tuesday, leading Orlando to a 108-104 win over the LA Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The Magic, who shot a finals record 75 percent in the first half and finished making 62.5 percent, also got 20 points from Rafer Alston and 18 from Hedo Turkoglu.

The Orlando Magic pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink of elimination in the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday with a 116-114 overtime win. Dwight Howard scored 27 points and Rafer Alston 26 for the surprising Magic, who can nail down their second trip to the NBA Finals with a win in Game 5 Thursday in Cleveland. Mikael Pietrus and Rashard Lewis both added 17 for the Magic, who hit 17-of-38 3-point shots as a team. LeBron James scored 44 points for the Cavs and put the game into overtime with a pair of clutch free throws with less than a second to play.

Dwight Howard's 24 points and nine rebounds Sunday led Orlando's 99-89 win over Cleveland, giving the Magic a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference final. Orlando, still smarting from a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by LeBron James Friday, bolted to a 16-6 lead when Rashard Lewis sank a jumper with 6:07 left in the first quarter, but saw its lead dwindle to 42-41 by halftime. Howard sank seven free throws in the fourth to secure the victory before fouling out.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 10 of his 25 points in a fourth-quarter surge Sunday that carried Orlando over Boston 101-82 and into the Eastern Conference finals. The Magic hit 13 of 21 3-point shots en route to eliminating the defending NBA champions. Orlando outscored the Celtics 35-21 in the final quarter. Turkoglu