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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Dwight Howard had 21 points and 16 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic beat the Utah Jazz 88-75 Monday night in a matchup of the teams with the best records in each conference.
The two best shooting teams in the league misfired much of the game but Orlando controlled the glass and the paint. Led by Howard, the Magic outrebounded the league's top team in rebounding margin, 45-36, and outscored the Jazz in the lane, 40-32.
After missing Saturday's game to attend a funeral in New Orleans for his grandmother, Grant Hill returned to score 16 points for Orlando (11-4).
Carlos Arroyo, who played three seasons in Utah, scored seven points of his 13 points in an 11-2 run early in the fourth quarter, helping the Magic to their eighth win in nine games.
Howard recorded his sixth straight double-double and ninth this season. He is averaging 19.1 points and 15.8 rebounds in seven road games this season and Orlando won its first game of a six-game, 11-day Western Conference road trip.
Jameer Nelson scored 15 points to help start the road swing in an unfamiliar fashion for the Magic, who have gone a combined 3-26 against Western Conference teams on road trips the past three seasons.
Howard's free throws lifted the Magic to their biggest lead of the night at 81-60 with 5:28 remaining. The Jazz, who have twice come back from 16-point deficits to win games in the past two weeks, rallied to get within eight.
Andrei Kirilenko capped a 13-0 run with a dunk off a loose ball with 2:08 to play, cutting it to 81-73.
But Hill answered with a jumper from the corner. Carlos Boozer missed two free throws and then Mehmet Okur was called for technical foul and ejected after he was called for traveling with 1:08 to play and he batted the ball high into the crowd.
Boozer finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, Okur had 13 points and Kirilenko added 11. Okur also had nine boards.
Utah (12-3) committed 12 turnovers in the first half and trailed 47-41 at halftime.
Notes:@ Utah shot 43 percent from the field, compared to 40 percent for the Magic. ... The Jazz failed to match their best home start of eight straight wins in the 1998-99 season. ... The Magic are off to their best start through 15 games since the 1998-99 season, when they reached the playoffs but lost in the first round.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-11-27-06 2202MST
