Incredibly, the Magic knocked off all three Western Conference division leaders in sweeping their four-game West trip, closing it out by somehow finding the energy to thump the Denver Nuggets 106-88 at Pepsi Center.

The victory, the seventh straight for the Magic, pushed their road record to a league-best 17-5.

Moreover, after a half season of work, they stand near the top of the NBA at 33-8, tying the 1994-95 club for best record after 41 games.

It's an impressive nine-game bump over last season, when the Magic were 24-17 after 41 of 82 games.

In their toughest trip of the season, the Magic defeated the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers, completing first-ever regular-season sweeps over those powerhouses, and set an NBA record with a barrage of 23-three-pointers in whipping the Sacramento Kings.

But even after all those memorable moments, the win against the Nuggets (27-14) might have been the most telling, given they didn't check into their Denver hotel until close to 5 a.m. after flying from L.A.

Cal Ripken, in attendance, would even admire the Magic's toughness and durability. They won despite all-star center Dwight Howard's early struggles and Denver's bench outscoring Orlando's 44-2.

As they did on their last West trip when they won the two games he missed while nursing a sore knee, early on Saturday the Magic did well without much help from Dwight Howard (foul trouble and wayward shooting this time -- three points, three fouls at halftime). He came on in the second half to finish with 14 points and record his second consecutive 20-rebound game, ending up with 20 boards.

Rashard Lewis scored 23 points and rookie Courtney Lee added 13 points and six rebounds.

But willing them to another victory was Nelson, who outplayed Spurs all-star Tony Parker (again) earlier in the trip and on Saturday got a cherished win over Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups, a Magic playoff killer as a Detroit Piston.

His late clutch efforts weren't needed thanks to Hedo Turkoglu scoring 12 of his game-high 31 points to fuel a 32-22 third quarter, but Nelson singlehandedly steered the Magic through a spotty first half with 21 points.

Lakers star Kobe Bryant, no less, says Nelson is playing at an "all-star level."

"People should stop looking at how tall Jameer is and see he's a great player," Howard said.

The Magic took a nine-point lead at 79-70 at the end of the third when Turkoglu beat the buzzer, swishing a 3-pointer.

It was the 3-pointer that carried them through the trip. The Magic surged ahead by 14 at 85-71 on back-to-back 3s by Lewis and Lee, part of Orlando's 11-of-26 shooting from downtown.

Howard added a layup to increase the lead to 16 and pretty much quiet the standing-room-only crowd and the Nuggets.

An amazing first half of the season came to an end for the Magic, who have been the surprise team in the NBA.

Bring on Boston, no?

It's the Magic's next game as they look for more respect and some redemption Thursday after losing to the reigning champs 94-85 Nov. 14 in Beantown.