Magic find China All-Stars all too easy
2007-10-18

Category NBA Nations China South Korea Metropolitan Macau Shanghai Borough/District Nanhui People Hedo Turkoglu Wang Zhizhi Yao Ming Clubs Orlando Magic Dallas Mavericks Cleveland Cavaliers

Orlando Magic brushed aside the Team China All-Stars in a one-sided 116-92 victory here on Thursday in an exhibition game organised by the NBA to tap into China's fast-expanding basketball fan base.

Magic's superstar centre Dwight Howard chalked up 12 points but was outscored by teammates Carlos Arroyo (25) and Hedo Turkoglu (17) as the US side gave their opponents, and the enthusiastic Macau crowd, a stylish masterclass.

China held their own in the first quarter, going into the break 24-18 down, but Magic soon established their dominance and began to pile on the points, earning a 40-21 scoreline at the halfway mark.

Howard, the first overall selection in the 2004 NBA draft, is already a favourite among China's huge number of NBA followers, and he showed why he is widely tipped to become one of the game's true greats.

The China All-Stars were far from the full-strength national side, with home-grown NBA stars Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian unavailable due to pre-season training.

The team was instead a scratch side that included former NBA player Wang Zhizhi, who now plays domestically in China but who was the first ever Chinese NBA player when he appeared for the Dallas Mavericks in 2001.

China's top scorer with 25 points was Olumide Oyedeji -- a Nigerian who now plays in South Korea.

Casino-obsessed Macau's first taste of world-class basketball was marked with all the razzmatazz for which the game is famous, as cheerleaders, team mascots and thumping music brought an authentic NBA buzz to the Venetian Arena.

The 11,000-capacity newly built venue was full, reflecting strong local interest in the game, even though Yao and Yi were absent.

On Wednesday in Shanghai Magic had been forced to work harder for success when beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are also on a promotional tour of China.

The two teams clash again on Saturday in Macau before heading home for the NBA season, which kicks off on October 30.