ORLANDO, Dec 24 — The Orlando Magic snapped a four-game losing streak by routing San Antonio 123-101 yesterday to snap the Spurs' 10-game winning streak in the NBA league.

The Magic outscored the Spurs 30-2 on fast-break points to win for just the second time in their last 10 games.

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 29 points and 14 rebounds, while forward Brandon Bass and reserve guard J.J. Reddick each added 17 points.

Howard, a four-time All-Star, hit 11 of 13 shots from the floor, seven of 12 from the line, and had three blocks.

Point guards Tony Parker and Gary Neal had 16 points apiece for the Spurs, who had eight players score in double figures.

Orlando led by just two points at the end of the first quarter but outscored San Antonio by 19 points over the middle two periods on the strength of 20 points by Howard to take command of the game.

The Magic hit 60 per cent of their shots, including 13 of 25 from beyond the arc. — Reuters

MELBOURNE, Dec 24 — Australia captain Ricky Ponting appeared untroubled by his broken finger when he batted in the nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today ahead of the fourth Ashes test against England.

Ponting, who injured the little finger on his left hand when attempting a catch in the third test in Perth, practised against a bowling machine indoors then went outside to face a raft of different bowlers on a sunny morning in Melbourne.

"He said it felt pretty good after facing some balls on the machines and facing some bowlers," vice-captain Michael Clarke told reporters after the training session.

"Obviously we're all very hopeful and pretty confident that, unless they cut his finger off, it's going to be really hard to leave Punter (Ponting) out.

"I think he's going to have to wait until tomorrow and see how it pulls up after having a bat today, but he's pretty happy about how things went."

Clarke said Ponting would forfeit his usual spot in the slips and play either mid-on or mid-off should he be deemed fit to play in the test starting on Sunday.

"As long as you're pretty close to seeing the line which the bowlers are bowling, it's probably better for the bowlers that (he's) there to be able to talk to them as well."

After losing the second test in Adelaide, Australia levelled the five-test series with an emphatic 267-run win in the fourth test in Perth.

Holders England need only to draw the series to be the first since Mike Gatting's in 1986-87 to take the Ashes home from Australia. — Reuters