Orlando Magic Week 19: Matt Barnes Gets Personal With Kobe Bryant

The Magic have shown something this week that has been lacking for most of the season, chemistry. During their five game win streak, a different Orlando starter has led the team in points in each game.

The Magic have also exhibited toughness, a quality that came out in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Matt Barnes' one-man assault on Kobe Bryant was exactly the edge Orlando has been looking for.

Monday night's game in Philadelphia was an offensive bloodbath. Orlando led by as many as 28, ultimately finishing off the Sixers 126-105 and matching their largest offensive performance of the year.

Jameer Nelson led the charge in his homecoming (Nelson attended St. Joseph's in Philly) with 22 points and 10 assists. Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis each added 19 points.

Jrue Holliday scored the most points in the contest with his 23, while andre Iguodala chipped in with 19 of his own. Elton Brand was unable to play due to injury.

The Magic had their way with Golden State on Wednesday night. Orlando outscored the Warriors 117-90 and earned another home win.

Dwight Howard was not going to be stopped, finishing with 28 points and 12 boards. After ending a 20 game double-double streak, Howard had struggled to put together a dominating performance until facing the thin Golden State team.

The Warriors were shorthanded, missing Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Corey Maggette, and Vlad Radmanovich. CJ Watson picked up the scoring responsibilities, leading Golden State with 19 points. Breakout rookie Stephan Curry was held to only nine points in the game.

In a game that seemed like a freebie on paper, Orlando bested the New Jersey Nets 97-87 at the IZOD Center. The Magic were not willing to give the Nets their seventh victory for the year.

Matt Barnes led Orlando with 16 points. Dwight Howard put up an impressive stat line with 11 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and four blocks.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 18 points and eight boards. Devin Harris threw up 17 points and added 10 dimes.

The big game of the week came on Sunday afternoon as the Magic welcomed the LA Lakers to Amway Arena. Orlando was prepared to make a statement in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

Matt Barnes was all over Kobe Bryant all day, getting in his face, in his way, and even faking a pass at his nose. Both players somehow managed to avoid ejection and it was Barnes who had a hand in Kobe's face as Bryant missed a would be game-tying shot.

Despite struggling early in the game, Kobe did finish with 34 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Barnes only had 10 points but his major contributions can't be measured in stats.

Dwight Howard had a 15-16 showing, but it was Vince Carter who lit things up, finishing with 25 points.

Ron Artest showed up donning yellow hair with "defense" written in purple in Hindi, Hebrew, and Chinese. He finished win no steals, no blocks and six rebounds. He didn't do much better on offense. shooting 2-10 with eight points.

Orlando wound up on top in a 96-94 slugfest. If the Magic can keep up this level of intensity in the playoffs, the rest of the league will have their hands full.

In the week ahead, Orlando has to face a handful of playoff bubble teams, two of which Orlando may face in the first round. Let's take a look.

Tuesday, March 9 Vs. Los Angeles Clippers (25-38)

The Clippers seem to be on the verge of conceding the 2009-10 season. Sitting 11 games out of the eight seed in the West, LA has traded away Marcus Camby, Al Thornton, and Sebastian Telfair while taking on Steve Blake, Drew Gooden, and Travis Outlaw.

The Clippers continue to trudge along on the shoulders of Chris Kaman. Averaging 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds, Kaman was the lone Clips representative in the All-Star Game.

Baron Davis has played well under lowered expectations, averaging 15 points and eight assists. His mate in the backcourt, Eric Gordon has played well also. Gordon has put up 17.2 points a night.

With Mike Dunleavy stepping down as coach to focus on his GM duties, the Clippers are clearly looking to next year and hoping to land a marquee free agent in the summer. Until then, the Clips will accept their role as the other LA team.

Orlando will try to ride Vince Carter's hot hand to victory against Los Angeles.

Thursday, March 11 Vs. Chicago Bulls (31-31)

After losing Joakim Noah, the Bulls have lost four straight and look like a team with broken spirits. Chicago and Orlando have split the season series and now are looking at completely opposite fortunes.

Chicago made two deals before the trade deadline. The notable departures are John Salmons, who has flourished in Milwaukee, and Tyrus Thomas, who has played well in Charlotte.

In return, the Bulls added Hakim Warrick, Ronald "Flip" Murray, and Acie Law. Neither of the three have made the impact that Salmons and Thomas have for their respective teams, but they were brought on for cap relief.

Derrick Rose continues to round into one of the premiere point guards in the NBA. Rose is averaging 20.6 points a game with 5.7 assists.

With a supporting cast of Luol Deng (DTD), Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson, and Brad Miller, Chicago has tempered their expectations and may soon drop out of the eight seed in the playoff race.

Dwight Howard should have a field day battling Miller and Warrick up front.

Saturday, March 13 @ Washington Wizards (21-39)

On paper, the Washington Wizards should be doing nothing but losing. After losing Gilbert Arenas to suspension and trading away Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Brendon Haywood, the Wiz lost the nucleus of their lineup.

In exchange, they received Drew Gooden (traded away), Zydunas Ilgauskas (bought out), and Josh Howard (out for the season with torn ACL). Al Thornton, Quinton Ross, and James Singleton are the only players Washington has acquired that play significant roles on the team.

Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Earl Boykins continue to anchor the backcourt, but the big story is the emergence of Andray Blatche. Since joining the starting lineup, Blatche has looked like Kevin Garnett, posting huge numbers.

Washington has won only two of their last eight games after pulling off a couple of surprising wins. Orlando will look to expose the weaknesses of the Wiz and walk out of DC with a win.

Sunday, March 14 Vs. Charlotte Bobcats (30-31)

Last week, Michael Jordan took over ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan struck at the right time, buying a team that is quietly on its way to their best season in team history and a potential postseason contender.

Many analysts see Charlotte as a difficult first round draw as a team that plays tough defense while featuring some dangerous offensive weapons.

Gerald Wallace has become a dominant rebounder, grabbing 10.5 a game while still scoring 18.6 points per game. Stephen Jackson carries the scoring load by putting up 21.4 points a night. "S Jax" has been a great addition since coming over from Golden State.

Another malcontent that has seemingly found his way in Charlotte is Tyrus Thomas. Since coming over from Chicago, Thomas has averaged 12.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in 26.7 minutes a game.

The Magic hope to provide the Bobcats with a dose of reality on Sunday in a potential playoff preview.