Magic 115, Suns 94
ORLANDO -- The rebuilding Orlando Magic utilized a balanced attack from inside and outside while pounding the Phoenix Suns 115-94 Sunday night to remain unbeaten.
Five Magic players finished with at least 15 points, giving Orlando an encouraging 2-0 start to the post-Dwight Howard era.
J.J. Redick led the charge with 24 points in his sixth-man role. Starters Arron Afflalo and Glen Davis each had 22 points, playing especially well in leading a second-half comeback. Nikola Vucevic added 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Magic hit nine of 11 shots from 3-point range.
The Suns (1-2) got 24 points from Luis Scola and 22 points from Michael Beasley, but most of the duo's points came before intermission. Center Marcin Gorat added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Phoenix played well in the first half but wilted badly after intermission.
The Magic, who were without starters Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson, erupted for 40 points in the third quarter, erasing a 10-point halftime deficit and taking a 86-76 lead going into the fourth.
Orlando trailed through most of the first half and by as many as 14 points early in the third quarter.
The Magic shot 67 percent in the third, when it got 14 points from Davis. They home team didn't miss a 3-point shot until the fourth quarter after making its first seven.
Scola had 16 points by halftime, leading the Suns to a 56-46 lead at the break. The Suns had nine turnovers in those first two quarters, but they blocked eight Magic shots.
Redick had 15 points by halftime, sparking Orlando early when he hit five of six shots in the first quarter for 11 consecutive points.
NOTES: The game was delayed for 13 minutes between the first and second periods after one net was torn off the rim by a soldier dunking off a trampoline. He was at the game for a Seats For Soldiers promotion and was asked to participate in the between-quarter entertainment. ... Undrafted rookie DeQuan Jones, from the University of Miami, replaced Turkoglu in the Magic's starting lineup. Turkoglu broke his left hand on opening night Friday and underwent surgery Saturday. Jones, who didn't play in the opener because of a sore groin, became the first rookie to start for the Magic since Courtney Lee in 2009. Turkoglu is expected to be out for at least four weeks. ... The Magic also were without point guard Nelson, who has a sore ankle, hamstring and groin. The team hopes he can return for Tuesday's game in Chicago against the Bulls. ... The Suns, like the Magic, are a team in transition after losing their superstar (Steve Nash) to the Los Angeles Lakers. "This is a whole new era for Suns basketball," coach Alvin Gentry said before the game. "No more run-and-gun, getting a shot in seven seconds or less." The Magic is adjusting to life without Howard, who also wound up with the Lakers. ... Suns reserve Jermaine O'Neal, in his 17th NBA season, got his first points of the season Sunday in the second quarter.
