INQUIRER Sports

ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic came on strong in the final quarter, surging 99-88 victory over Cleveland in a clash of two of the National Basketball Association's top teams on Thursday.

France's Mickael Pietrus kicked off a 20-2 scoring run for Orlando with a layup, and Anthony Johnson and Rashard Lewis added back-to-back three-pointers as Orlando punished Cleveland with their perimeter shooting.

Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson each connected from three-point range later in the fourth quarter and Nelson capped the spurt with a lay-in to extend the Magic's lead to 99-74.

The performance more than validated the selection of Lewis and Nelson as NBA All-Star reserves earlier in the day.

They joined teammate Dwight Howard, who was voted an All-Star starter by fans, in making Orlando the only team with three representatives in the NBA's midseason gala.

Lewis celebrated by scoring 19 points and Nelson added 18, while superstar center Howard led the way with 22 points and 18 rebounds.

The score was so lopsided that the Magic posted a double-digit victory despite failing to score for the final 5:20 of action.

Cavs superstar LeBron James carried Cleveland with 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but shot just 10-of-27 from the floor.