LEAD: Howard has record-breaking night, Magic edge Warriors

By Paul Levine Jan 13, 2012, 8:48 GMT

Los Angeles - In the end, the strategy backfired on Golden State Warriors rookie head coach Mark Jackson.

Dwight Howard matched a career-high 45 points, including 21 of an NBA regular-season single game record 39 free throws, and had 23 rebounds as the visiting Orlando Magic slipped past the Golden State Warriors, 117-109 on Thursday night.

The free throw attempts shattered a 50-year old mark of 34, set by Wilt Chamberlain on February 22, 1962.

'It's respect that's how I take,' said Howard. 'All I want to do is win, no matter how we get it done. That's the bottom line.'

Figuring the only way to slow down the game's most dominant centre, Jackson opted to use the Hack-a-Shaq strategy. That was to foul Howard and put the career 59.5 per cent free throw shooter (42.6 per cent this season) on the stripe.

'You have to figure out a way to stop a great player and his weakness is foul shooting,' Jackson said.

It didn't work as planned, however.

'I just kept telling myself, no matter how many I miss just go up there and shoot it,' Howard said.

With the game knotted at 109-109, Howard grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer by Hedo Turkoglu (20 points) and dropped in the short go-ahead bank shot, while being fouled by David Lee with 65 seconds left.

Howard made the ensuing free throw to spark a game-ending 7-0 run as Von Wafer followed with a three-pointer to seal Orlando's third straight win.

Monta Ellis led Golden State with 30 points, while Lee finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out.

'Dwight had a good game to his credit and in the second half hit his free throws,' Lee said. 'We took a chance. Coach had the idea to do that, and we stand behind our coach.'

Elsewhere:

Atlanta Hawks 111, Charlotte Bobcats 81: Josh Smith had 30 points with 13 rebounds, Joe Johnson scored 23 and the Hawks, playing their first game without two-time All-Star centre Al Horford, blasted the visiting Bobcats.

Hours earlier, the Hawks learned Horford was expected to miss three to four months after tearing the left pectoral muscle in his left shoulder going for a rebound against Indiana on Wednesday night.

Jeff Teague scored 16 points for the Hawks, while Zaza Pachulia finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in place of Horford.

Byron Mullens scored a career-high 21 points for Charlotte (2-9), which has dropped five in a row.

Memphis Grizzlies 94, New York Knicks 83: Rudy Gay scored 26 points, OJ Mayo had 18 and the Grizzlies stopped a three-game slide while snapping the Knicks' four-game success.

Carmelo Anthony netted 14 points for New York, but the All-Star forward limped off the court with a right ankle sprain in the third quarter.

Milwaukee Bucks 102, Detroit Pistons 93: Brandon Jennings scored 27 points, Stephen Jackson had 25, and the host Bucks sent the skidding Pistons to their sixth consecutive loss, despite a game-high 32-point, 16-rebound effort by Greg Monroe.

Cleveland Cavaliers 101, Phoenix Suns 90: Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 26 points, Antawn Jamison had 23 and Anderson Varejao pulled down 17 rebounds as the visiting Cavaliers set the Suns to snap a three-game slide.

Steve Nash collected 16 points and 15 assist for Phoenix, which had its modest two-game run halted. Former All-Star guard Michael Redd made his Suns' debut, with 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench.