Shaq Shows His Outside Magic

Shaquille O’Neal sat at his locker wearing a hat that professed “The World Is Mine” and a smile that asked, “How do you like me now?”

The All-Star center made his first three-point basket Friday night, and the Orlando Magic tied the NBA record for home wins at the start of the season with a 121-91 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

“You guys are jealous, because I’m shooting 1,000% behind the three-point line,” said O’Neal, who banked a 26-foot jumper at the end of the first quarter.

“[Coach] Brian Hill called the play. I got it. I shot it and I hit it. I called glass. You just didn’t hear it.”

The Magic improved to 27-0 on their home court, equaling the start of the 1946-47 Washington Capitols. They can break the record by beating Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

“I think we’d all be proud to break a record like that,” Hill said. “Obviously, it’s a very difficult record to get if it’s been around for 50 years.”

O’Neal’s three-point basket at the buzzer capped a 40-point first quarter in which the Magic shot 77%. He had 19 in the quarter and finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds despite sitting out the last eight minutes of the game.

Chicago 103, Minnesota 100--Michael Jordan gave the largest crowd in Target Center history what it came to see, scoring 35 points to lead the Bulls at Minneapolis. Scottie Pippen added 29 points for the Bulls, who were the main attraction for the 20,214 fans.

Although they wasted a 15-point third-quarter lead and had to struggle for their fourth consecutive victory, the Bulls still remained perfect in 13 games against Minnesota.

Indiana 95, Washington 94--Reggie Miller scored 29 points, including the tie-breaking free throw with 1.3 seconds left, at Baltimore as the Pacers ended a three-game losing streak. The Pacers survived a career-high 32 points from Washington’s Juwan Howard.

San Antonio 113, Golden State 95--David Robinson had 17 points and 18 rebounds, and Vinny Del Negro scored 20 points as the Spurs ended a two-game losing streak at San Antonio. Charles Smith, making his first start since coming to San Antonio in a trade from the New York Knicks, had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Charlotte 107, Denver 100--The Hornets exploited the absence of Nugget center Dikembe Mutombo (sprained ankle) as Matt Geiger scored a career-high 28 points in a victory at Charlotte, N.C.

New York 116, Philadelphia 84--The Knicks welcomed Brad Lohaus into the starting lineup and had their highest-scoring first quarter of the season in a victory at New York.

Lohaus, acquired eight days earlier in a trade with San Antonio, replaced Charles Oakley in the starting five. Oakley went on the injured list earlier in the day with a broken thumb.

Atlanta 110, Vancouver 100--Mookie Blaylock had 21 points and Steve Smith 16 to lead seven Hawks in double figures at Vancouver, Canada. Grant Long had 15 points, Stacey Augmon 13, Spud Webb 12, Craig Ehlo 11 and Andrew Lang 10 for Atlanta.

Seattle 117, Phoenix 99--The SuperSonics won their fifth in a row and their 11th in the last 12 games as Detlef Schrempf and Hersey Hawkins scored 19 points apiece at Seattle. Gary Payton added 18 points and 10 assists for the SuperSonics, who had a comfortable lead for most of the second half.

Boston 130, Sacramento 102--Dino Radja led seven Celtics players in double figures with 31 points in handing the Kings their sixth consecutive loss in a game at Sacramento. Boston led by 14 points after one quarter and stretched the margin to 27 points by halftime.

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NBA Notes

New Jersey Nets shooting guard Kendall Gill had three pins inserted into his broken left hand and the prognosis for a full recovery is excellent, the team said.