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 33-year-old Vince Carter is long past his high-flying, highlight reel, slam-dunk champion days and his scoring abilities have been declining over the past few years, but you would not have been able to tell last night against New Orleans.  “Vinsanity” was back last night, as he looked a lot like his younger self, exploding for 48 points en route to a 123-117 victory over the Hornets.  He ended the night with 48 points on 19-27 shooting (including 6-10 from three), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, in 38 minutes of play.  Carter could have easily gotten 50, but showed his sportsmanship and let the clock run out.  Carter used an array of moves on drives, step backs, post-ups, and three-pointers to get himself a season-high 48 points.  It was only three points away from his career high.  This is a good sign for the Magic, as they are going to need VC to put up a lot of points if they want to make it back to the NBA Finals this season.

The Orlando Magic (21-7) caught some fire from behind the arc in the second half, helping them beat the Utah Jazz (16-12).  J.J. Redick came off the bench and shot the ball lights out.  He hit 7-9, including 2-2 from three, on his way to 20 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in 24 minutes.  Rashard Lewis also shot well and the magic hit 49% of their FG’s and 43% of their threes.  Dwight Howard led with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal.  He also had 5 blocks, helping the defense hold the Jazz to 40% shooting.  A good all-around game by the Magic last night.

The Orlando Magic (15-4) shot the ball very well last night and took down the New York Knicks (4-15) easily at home.  The Magic hit 55% of their shots and out-rebounded the Knicks by 10 (46-36).  Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis did a good job leading the way for the Magic, both on the glass and scoring the ball.  Both had double-doubles, with Howard getting 19 points, 10 rebounds and Lewis getting 20 points and 11 rebounds.  Lewis’ shot has been struggling this year, but he hit 6-8 shots last night including 5-7 from three, which is a great sign for the Magic.  Wilson Chandler had 24 points for the Knicks.

The Magic will be without Jameer Nelson for the next 4-6 weeks due to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Nelson has played in 11 games (all starts) for the Magic this season and he is averaging 29.6 minutes, 13.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Veteran Jason Williams will replace Nelson in the starting lineup while he is out of action. Williams has played in 11 games (0 starts) this season for the Magic and he is averaging 18.4 minutes, 5.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. This hurts the Magic as they are at their best with Nelson running the offense, but, Williams will likely do a decent job while he is out of action.