ORLANDO -- Magic center Dwight Howard received his 15th technical foul of the season Friday night, leaving him one shy of an automatic suspension, a cloud that now will hang over the final 23 games of the regular season.
But he also will be scary at playoff time.
Howard leads the NBA in technical fouls -- and at least one one-game suspension looks inevitable -- but he also made it clear that the Magic could be a real wild-card team when the playoffs begin.
Despite the Magic's struggles with consistency all season, Howard's growing dominance and recent willingness to hold his teammates accountable, still makes them dangerous for any opponent -- even if no one thinks they are a serious contender anymore.
"We don't care what anything says or thinks about us,'' Howard said after another Herculean effort Friday. "We know we can beat any team in the league.''
The Magic throttled short-handed Oklahoma City, 111-88, again riding Howard, who had 40 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots, a trifecta that no one else in the NBA has matched since Shaquille O'Neal in 1999.
The Magic (37-22) are resting in the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, having already beaten the Celtics, Heat, Lakers and Spurs, while losing to the Raptors, Pistons and Kings.
Alexis Bledel Kim Kardashian China Chow Alecia Elliott Kat Von D
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