Want to read about the Orlando Magic? Sure you do. Who doesn't? Here's your chance.

New Orleans 100, New York 88

An entertaining game, and a lot of the credit has to go to Knicks coach Isiah Thomas and Hornets coach Byron Scott for creating a game made for the NBA junkies. 

Though hoped-for Knick stalwart Eddy Curry played well (19 and eight rebounds, just two turnovers in almost 34 minutes; very good for Curry) and was on the floor for a while, Thomas mainly took a long look at the fringe of his roster, and was rewarded with a sound effort. Here's hoping Randolph Morris gets continued minutes as the season dies down.

Meanwhile, Scott saw a good chance for a heightened scrimmage, and even in the midst of a tough Western Conference race, he gave extended minutes to a bench that kept the Hornets close all game long.

Chris Paul, as you'd expect, was the man during the game's last two minutes. Paul finished with 27 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and three steals in front of his hometown crowd. Paul had purchased more than 980 tickets for friends and family at Madison Square Garden.

Only the first third of the preceding paragraph is true.

Utah 116, Dallas 110

A strange game. 

Utah shot out of the gates like gangbusters -- gangbusters, I say! -- taking in a Carlos Boozer layup in the contest's initial seconds as the Mavs failed to talk on defense, and throwing in 37 points in the first 11 minutes.  

Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki played like every horrible stereotype your high school football coach could muster up regarding a European basketball import. He was lost defensively, soft on offense, and topped off the quarter with a needless foul on Andrei Kirilenko that could have been avoided.

(Seriously, it's one thing to try and make an opponent earn his points from the line; but it's another to realize that you're in no position to give a deliberate-but-safe foul. Dirk didn't think, and may have done some damage. Boneheaded move by Nowitzki.)

Even after falling behind by 21, the Mavs started to come back late in the first quarter by attacking in transition and getting to the line. Though Dallas was good enough to take a fourth quarter lead, they had no answers for the Deron Williams/Carlos Boozer screen and roll game in the fourth quarter (or third, second, and first), and Utah held on to win.

Philadelphia 106, Los Angeles Clippers 80

In the fourth quarter, smart-aleck Clippers play-by-play man Ralph Lawler: "Every Clipper tonight has scored!"

KD, at home, giving Ralph the sardonic straight man he's missed ever since Bill Walton took to the Worldwide Leader: "Yeah. Once."

Los Angeles is miserable offensively, and Philadelphia seemingly scores 84 percent of its shots on dunks. The actual stat is 14 percent, but it rarely feels that way. Put the two together, and you have a result that was never in doubt. 

Philadelphia sustained a potent half-court attack all game long, registering 28 assists on 46 field goals, dunking quite a bit, and holding the Clippers in check defensively.

Also, Clipper guard Andre Barrett failed to score. Ralph and I were way off, and we're turning in our badges later this afternoon.

Related: Behind the boxscore