Magic Ground Rockets

The Orlando Magic played like a team with something to prove, even if they wouldn’t say it.

The Atlantic Division leaders, asserting themselves as a club to be reckoned with during this lockout-shortened season, improved the best record in the Eastern Conference to 8-2 Sunday with a 109-83 rout of the Houston Rockets in Orlando, Fla.

“We’re not thinking about anybody else. We’re concentrating on what we do,” said Orlando’s Nick Anderson, shrugging off suggestions that the Magic made a statement in the nationally televised game.

“Before the season there was nothing said about this team. So be it. We’re going to keep playing basketball. We’re not going to pick up the newspaper and say: `Hey, we’re the best team.’ We’re not thinking about that. You’re only as good as your last game.”

Anderson and Darrell Armstrong each scored 19 points and Penny Hardaway had 16 points and 11 assists for the Magic.

The loss was the third in four games for Houston after a 5-1 start.

“This hasn’t been a very good road trip for us, but we are going to go back home and get some wins,” said Houston’s Scottie Pippen. “We have to start scoring and executing better under pressure.”

Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Pippen had 19 points, but was ejected during a scoreless second half in which he missed all four of his shots and drew two technicals in verbal exchanges with the officials.

“They didn’t have Charles Barkley. But they had the rest of their team and they’ve been playing everybody else tough,” Hardaway said.

“We felt really confident because they had two rookies starting in the backcourt. We felt like Nick and myself really had to force the issue on the defensive end, and it worked for us.”

The Magic had 17 steals and forced 22 turnovers to extend the team’s regular-season winning streak against Houston to nine games over the last four seasons.

Atlanta’s Smith shelved

Atlanta Hawks leading scorer Steve Smith will be out of action for seven to 10 days after straining his right knee Saturday night in a 76-69 victory at Philadelphia.

Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said X-rays on Smith’s knee Sunday confirmed the original diagnosis of a strain. He said the guard will have an MRI today to confirm the diagnosis.

A decision would then be made on whether to place Smith on the injured list, which means he would have to miss a minimum of five games.

In other games

Joe Smith scored a season-high 30 points and Stephon Marbury directed the Minnesota Timberwolves’ offense to its third consecutive 100-point game in a 102-90 victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings.

Marbury scored 23 points and added 15 assists for his third consecutive double-double. Kevin Garnett had 22 points and a season-high 19 rebounds. Smith also had a double-double with 13 rebounds.

Chris Webber led the Kings with 20 points but was held below double figures in rebounds for the first time this year, finishing with nine.

In their only network television appearance of the season, the Chicago Bulls showed part of the country how incredibly low they’ve sunk.

The Bulls tied their franchise record for fewest points in a game in a 79-63 loss to the New York Knicks.

Michael Jordan once scored 63 all by himself.

The Bulls needed a three-point play from Kornel David and a tough jumper in the lane by Cory Carr in the final 80 seconds to reach 63 points, which tied the franchise-low set against Cleveland on Dec. 19, 1994, without Jordan.

At San Antonio, Tim Duncan scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, leading the Spurs to an 85-64 victory over the cold-shooting Detroit Pistons.

For the second time in a week, the Pistons set a team record for fewest points in a game. Monday, the Pistons scored 69 points in a loss to the New York Knicks.