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.