Arroyo, Howard boost Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwight Howard had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Carlos Arroyo scored 16 points, leading the Orlando Magic to a 94-90 win over the Houston Rockets in the teams' final preseason game Thursday night.

Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 18 points, but played sparingly in the third quarter and sat out the fourth. Yao Ming had 13 points and 4 rebounds before leaving in the second quarter with a sprained ankle. The Rockets said the injury was minor and that he left the game only as a precaution.

Arroyo sealed the win with a three-point play in the game's final 2 minutes.

Orlando and Houston both finished the preseason 6-2. The loss snapped the Rockets' five-game winning streak.

John Lucas III scored 12 points for Houston, all in the fourth quarter. Shane Battier had 11 points and six rebounds, and Steve Novak scored 10 points for the Rockets.

Hedo Turkoglu was Orlando's only player besides Howard and Arroyo to crack double digits, netting 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

Yao had 11 points during a 15-4 second-quarter run that helped Houston to a 49-46 halftime lead. The Rockets missed his inside presence in the second half.

CHARLOTTE 126, MILWAUKEE 124 (2OT): At Green Bay, Wis., Othella Harrington hit a jump shot at the buzzer to give the Charlotte Bobcats a 126-124 double-overtime preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

Charlotte took a 124-122 lead on two free throws by Sean May with 39.3 seconds left in the second overtime, but Milwaukee guard Charlie Bell hit a jump shot to tie the game with 34.7 seconds remaining.

NUGGETS 126, LAKERS 108: At Anaheim, Calif., Carmelo Anthony scored 13 of his 32 points in the third quarter and reserve forward Linas Kleiza got 16 of his 19 points in the fourth, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 126-108 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Andre Miller had 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who played without injured Marcus Camby and Julius Hodge. Kenyon Martin and Earl Boykins, both of whom had dental surgery on Wednesday, combined for 22 points.

Anthony, who had a wisdom tooth pulled last weekend, outscored the Lakers 9-0 during a 1:49 span of the third to extend Denver's six-point lead to 93-78 with 1:26 left in the quarter.