Vince Carter logged only two minutes for the Orlando Magic in their 103-97 win over the Denver Nuggets Sunday night.  Carter sprained his right big toe while playing defense and left the game with 10:25 left in the first quarter.  Its not clear how long the injury will keep Carter out, but X-rays were negative so he may not miss much time.  You never know with Carter though,  since he seems to be made of glass and can’t stay healthy.  He was already playing through a sprained right ankle so I would think the Magic may give him at least a few games off.  The Magic have already been playing without another key wing player in Michael Pietrus.  The only good news out of all this is that J.J. Redick stepped up big on Sunday.  Redick had a career night, playing 46 minutes and going 8-15 for 23 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.

Shooting guard Vince Carter is playing his best basketball right now and the Magic hope he can keep up the good work. Carter has played in 11 games in March so far and he is averaging 33.7 minutes, 19.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Carter’s shooting is also improving as he is hitting 50.4% from the floor, 46.2% from three point range and 87.9% from the free throw line in March. Carter has now played in 64 games (63 starts) this season for the Magic and he is averaging 31.2 minutes, 16.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Carter usually disappears in the playoffs but the Magic better hope that changes because they won’t beat the Cavs, Hawks or Celtics if he doesn’t play well in the playoffs.

25-year old shooting guard J.J. Redick is playing the best basketball of his career right now for the Magic. Redick has played in 71 games (9 starts) for the Magic this season and he is averaging 21.6 minutes, 9.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The Magic hope that Redick keeps it going because they need his instant offense off the bench.

After their 111-82 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls last night, the Orlando Magic have now won 7 games in a row and 9 of their last 10.  During their current winning ways, they have been blowing teams out, winning almost every game by double-digits.  Two of those nine wins weren’t blowouts, but they were against the two best teams in the league.  They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-95 and the Los Angeles Lakers 96-94.  The one loss they had was a road game against the New Orleans Hornets, who got a 40-point night from David West.  Other than that, the Magic have looked like the best team in the NBA lately, and Dwight Howard has been leading the way for them.  In the past 10 games Howard has been shooting 59% from the field and is averaging 18.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 0.6 steals.  All of those numbers are right around his season averages, despite playing less minutes.  Due to all of the blowout wins the Magic have been having, Howard has been able to get more rest.  In 7 of the last 10 games, Howard has played less than his 35 minute per game average.  If the Magic continue this type of play, you will see them in the NBA Finals once again this year.

Small forward Matt Barnes knows his role as he plays solid defense and he is a good rebounder. Barnes has played in 65 games (42 starts) for the Magic this season and he is averaging 25.4 minutes, 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Barnes really showed some skills as he got into Kobe Bryant’s head in a recent game with the Lakers that the Magic won. I like the fact that no one can intimidate Barnes and that will come in handy in the playoffs this year for the Magic.

Jason Williams was once known for his flashy passes and difficult shots, and was turnover prone because of it.  The 34-year-old point guard is a completely different player now and has been a great asset off the bench for the Orlando Magic this season.  Williams, who didn’t even play in the NBA last season, is playing 21.6 minutes per game and is averaging 6.6 points, 3.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and is shooting a career high from the field (46%) and a career high from three (38%).  Williams’ assist-to-turnover ratio is 3.44, which is good enough for the 5th best in the NBA.  Williams will be an important player for the Magic when they go for another run at the NBA Title this season.  Jameer Nelson is a solid point guard for the Magic, but he has more of a “shoot-first” mentality for a point guard and his assist-to-turnover ratio is only 2.5.  For a guy who didn’t even play last year and wasn’t expected to do much for the Magic this season, Williams has been a very good player for them this year.

The Magic shot 52.2% from the floor last night and they outrebounded the Warriors 58-29 which explains the ease of the win. Dwight Howard led the way for the Magic last night with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Rashard Lewis pitched in with 17 points and 4 rebounds last night. Vince Carter finished up with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in this game. The Magic are now 42-20 on the year.

The Magic got rid of the Sixers quickly in this game as they led it 102-81 heading into the 4th quarter. Jameer Nelson was the star of the game for the Magic last night as he shot 8 of 11 from the floor and he finished with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists. Rashard Lewis (19 points), Vince Carter (19 points) and Matt Barnes (16 points) all ready helped on offense as the Magic were very balanced last night. Dwight Howard finished up with 14 points and only 3 rebounds as the Magic only needed him for 24 minutes last night. Mickael Pietrus (10 points, 6 rebounds) and J.J. Redick (11 points) pitched in off the bench to keep the Sixers down. The Magic are now 41-20 on the season which has them 2 games up on the Hawks and 3 games on the Celtics for the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.