NBA: SIxers fall to Dwight-less Magic
Kyle Hightower
Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Ryan Anderson had 26 points and 16 rebounds, J.J. Redick scored 18 points and the Orlando Magic held off the Philadelphia 76ers 113-100 on Monday night.The Magic won their second straight game and played their fifth consecutive without All-Star center Dwight Howard, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disc […]
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Trentonian
Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Ryan Anderson had 26 points and 16 rebounds, J.J. Redick scored 18 points and the Orlando Magic held off the Philadelphia 76ers 113-100 on Monday night.

The Magic won their second straight game and played their fifth consecutive without All-Star center Dwight Howard, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disc in his back. He has missed seven games overall with the injury, and Orlando improved to 3-4 in his absence.

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 18 points and Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams each finished with 15.

Both teams shot above 50 percent, but the Magic were aided by a 46-30 rebounding advantage.

The Sixers dropped their second straight game. They continue their second back-to-back-to-back stretch of the season Tuesday against Indiana.

Glen Davis joined Howard and Hedo Turkoglu (out for regular season with facial fracture) on the inactive list Monday, sitting out with a sprained right knee.

Davis suffered the injury during the Magic’s win at Cleveland on Sunday, ending a string of eight consecutive starts he made in place of either Howard or Anderson.

The good news for the injury-plagued Magic, though, was there was no structural damage shown in an MRI taken on Davis’ knee.

With Davis out, Daniel Orton made his first career start. Other than a pair of starts at the Magic’s D-League affiliate last season, it was Orton’s first start since the state championship game his senior year of high school in Oklahoma.

To counter the Magic’s small lineup, the Sixers started Elton Brand as center, though foul trouble limited his effectiveness.

The shorter lineups produced fast-paced basketball on each end, with both teams’ field goal percentages hovering above 50 percent throughout the night. Orlando also shot a robust 11 for 18 (61 percent) from beyond the arc. The Sixers were also 9 for 18 from 3.

The Magic led by as many as 15 in the third quarter before having their lead trimmed to seven on a 3-pointer by Williams with just under three minutes to play.

It was 106-99 after a jumper by Evan Turner before Jameer Nelson’s back-to-back baskets pushed the lead back to 11 to seal it. Nelson finished with 16.

Brand was forced to the bench less than nine minutes into the game after picking up his second foul and sat the rest of the first half as the Magic took a six-point lead into halftime.

Orlando also got help from six 3s in the half.

Anderson led the scoring wave with 15 points. He was followed by Quentin Richardson, who scored all of his eight points in succession during a 12-2 Magic spurt to start the second quarter.

Holiday struggled in the Sixers’ February loss in Orlando, going just 1 for 8 from the field and committing five turnovers while watching his counterpart Nelson have a huge night with 14 assists.

It was clear early on Monday, though, that Holiday wanted to erase those memories.

Holiday hit his first four shots, scoring 10 of the Sixers first 12 points. He also had blocked a Nelson shot on the other end.

NOTES: The Magic improved to 24-4 when scoring 100 or more points. … Davis said he is expecting to be ready to play the Magic’s game at Boston on Wednesday. “Luckily I’ve got big bones,” Davis joked in the locker room before the game. Before he had the streak broken against Cleveland Sunday, Davis had seven straight games in double-figures. … Sixers coach Doug Collins said that he isn’t dwelling on the inopportune timing of his team’s second back-to-back-to-back of the season. He said having the New York Knicks on their heels for the seventh spot also helps them focused on each game. “It’s one of those mental things and we just gotta fight through it. We’ve got too much at stake,” Collins said.