"For several weeks now, Orlando Magic fans have wondered whether the team acquired damaged goods when it traded forward Rashard Lewis away for guard Gilbert Arenas.

An arthritic left knee has limited Arenas, so much so that even commentator Jeff Van Gundy — the younger brother of the Magic coach — recently said on national television that the Magic might need to sit Arenas for a stretch to get Arenas healthy.

What occurred Tuesday night won't end the questions about Arenas' knee, but it gave the Magic a badly needed victory. Arenas keyed a critical fourth-quarter run to spur the Magic to a 101-85 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Amway Center.

"It means a lot, because that's where I was mentally used to dominating a game," Arenas said. "I was a first-quarter and fourth-quarter player."

For one night at least, Arenas performed like a fourth-quarter player once again. He scored six of his nine points and dished out all five of his assists in the final period as he and his teammates broke open a deadlocked game.

He even earned an emotional high-five from coach Stan Van Gundy after Arenas completed a fastbreak with a pinpoint pass to Earl Clark for a dunk that put Orlando up 82-70.

Clark's basket completed a 12-0 Magic run.

"He made a great pass," Van Gundy said. "We literally had everybody ahead of the ball on that play, and so you leave the guys in the back with some very difficult decisions, and Gil did a great job of seeing the floor and finding Earl on that."

Arenas, of course, didn't do it alone."