ORLANDO -- The New Jersey Nets don't have center Brook Lopez. The Orlando Magic have center Dwight Howard. Translation: Nets get blown out. And that's exactly what happened before the home crowd Thursday night as the Magic easily dispatched of the Nets, 94-78.
Howard had a monster game with 24 rebounds, two shy of his career high, along with 16 points with no one up front to stop him. Lopez, talked about just a couple of weeks ago as potential trade bait for Howard, underwent surgery last Friday for what the Nets termed a non-displaced stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal of the right foot. What that means is the second best player on the Nets behind point guard Deron Williams is a non-factor for at least six to eight weeks.
Even if Lopez had been healthy and in this game, the way Howard was playing, it probably would not have made a difference. Ryan Anderson led five Magic players in double figures with 22 points, followed by 16 for Jason Richardson equalling Howard's total. J.J. Redick had 15 points and Hedo Turkoglu contributed 11 in what was a balanced scoring attack.
Marshon Brooks with 17 points off the bench and Williams with 10, were the only Nets players scoring in double digits.
The Magic led by six at halftime, but pulled away in the second half with coach Stan Van Gundy telling reporters his players might have really "opened it up" with the final score had "we'd been able to make free throws."
The Magic players only converted 52 percent of their free throws, going 13 for 25.
Orlando improves to 2-1 on the season while New Jersey drops to 1-2.
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