December 18, 1997
If anyone tries to tell you the Orlando Magic have gone to the dogs, they're right. The deepest, most talented bench in Magic history, affectionately known as "The Hounds", have lifted an injury plagued team to the top of the Atlantic Division. The
scrappy Hounds, including Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw (now a starter, but still a Hound), Brian Evans, Gerald Wilkins, and
veteran point guard Derek Harper, have won 9 of 10 games without superstar Penny Hardaway, who just had knee surgery and will be out for 8-10 weeks.
Joining Penny on the injured list are Nick Anderson, who broke a bone in his left hand during a recent win over the Philadelphia 76ers, and forward Derek Strong, who will miss three to four weeks with a sprained knee. To fill up the roster holes,
the Magic have activated rookie Jason Lawson and signed guard Carl Thomas from the CBA.
The Magic, who now lead the NBA in wins and road wins at 16-7, have won their last 6 of 7 outings, including an impressive victory over the Chicago Bulls 106-98, without Penny, Nick or
Derek Strong. The Hounds came on strong against the World Champions with tremendous defensive play from Darrell Armstrong and Bo Outlaw, and some sharp-shooting from beyond the three-point line from Gerald Wilkins.
| NO. | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Birthdate | From/Year | Yrs |
| 25 | Nick Anderson | F-G | 6-6 | 228 | 01/20/68 | Illinois '89 | 8 |
| 10 | Darrell Armstrong | G | 6-1 | 180 | 06/22/68 | Fayetteville State '91 | 3 |
| 11 | Brian Evans | F | 6-8 | 220 | 09/13/73 | Indiana '96 | 1 |
| 54 | Horace Grant | F | 6-10 | 245 | 07/04/65 | Clemson '87 | 10 |
| 1 | Penny Hardaway | G-F | 6-7 | 215 | 07/18/71 | Memphis '93 | 4 |
| 12 | Derek Harper | G | 6-4 | 206 | 10/13/61 | Illinois '83 | 14 |
| 8 | Jason Lawson | C | 6-11 | 240 | 09/02/74 | Villanova '97 | R |
| 45 | Bo Outlaw | F-C | 6-8 | 210 | 04/13/71 | Houston '93 | 4 |
| 5 | Mark Price | G | 6-10 | 180 | 02/15/64 | Georgia Tech '86 | 11 |
| 24 | Danny Schayes | C | 6-11 | 260 | 05/10/59 | Syracuse '81 | 16 |
| 4 | Rony Seikaly | C | 6-11 | 253 | 05/10/65 | Syracuse '88 | 9 |
| 33 | Derek Strong* | F | 6-9 | 240 | 02/09/68 | Xavier (Ohio) '90 | 6 |
| 17 | Johnny Taylor | F | 6-9 | 220 | 06/04/74 | Tenn-Chattanooga '97 | R |
| 30 | Carl Thomas | G | 6-4 | 195 | 10/03/69 | East. Michigan '91 | 2 |
| 21 | Gerald Wilkins | G-F | 6-6 | 225 | 09/11/63 | Tenn-Chattanooga '85 | 12 |
HEAD COACH: Chuck Daly (Bloomsburg St. '52)
CAPTAINS: Horace Grant, Anfernee Hardaway
* - On injured list
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