Magic roll on

SEATTLE – Dwight Howard dominated the middle with 24 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Orlando Magic to their fifth straight win, 94-84 over the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday night.

Howard was perfect from the field, making all eight attempts, and went 8 for 12 at the free-throw line. It was his seventh straight double-double and ninth in his last 10 games.

Howard capped his night by swatting Luke Ridnour’s floater four rows deep into the stands with 49 seconds left.

Orlando improved to 12-4, one game back of Utah for the best record in the NBA. The Magic have won nine of their last 10 and the first two of a season-high six-game road trip.

Seattle dropped its third straight at home and is just 2-6 on its home court. Ray Allen led the Sonics with 21 points, but made just two of eight shots in the second half and didn’t make his first until there was 5:35 left in the fourth – a 3-pointer that brought Seattle within 10. The Sonics never got closer than eight in the final 7 minutes.

Carlos Arroyo scored 16 points and Darko Milicic added 14 as Orlando’s bench outscored Seattle’s 48-17. The Sonics shot just 30 percent in the second half.

Howard scored on a variety of tip-ins and two-handed dunks. The eight field goals made without a miss was a career-best for him.

Seattle led 59-53 on Ridnour’s 3-pointer with 6:38 left in the third, its largest lead since holding an 11-point advantage early in the second quarter.

Howard then scored the next six points, all on three-point plays, and Hedo Turkoglu’s 3-pointer gave Orlando a 62-61 lead, all part of a 13-2 run.

Rashard Lewis added 18 points for Seattle and Johan Petro scored 13.