The Orlando Magic overcame a season-high 24 turnovers to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-99 on Tuesday night and tighten their grip on the NBA's Southeast Division.

Dwight Howard had 21 points and eight rebounds in a bruising battle with Shaquille O'Neal, as Orlando went 10 points clear atop its division. The Magic have the league's fourth-best record overall.

O'Neal finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, outmuscling his original team for most of the night before he lost his cool late, again drawing boos by the Orlando crowd. His technical foul with 3:38 left contributed to nine straight points for the Magic, that gave them a 10-point lead to put the game out of reach.

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Detroit Pistons overcame a strong performance by former favourite to beat Denver Nuggets 110-95.

In other matches, Houston Rockets beat Toronto Raptors 107-97, New Jersey Nets clipped Milwaukee Bucks 99-95, Charlotte Bobcats sunk CHicago Bulls 96-80, Indiana Pacers stopped Sacramento Kings 117-109, and Golden State Warriors downed Sacramento Kings 118-94.