Howard had 25 points and six rebounds in only 23 minutes as he battled foul trouble. Anderson, who is starting at power forward while Rashard Lewis serves a suspension, had 20 points and ten rebounds. The second-year bigman was acquired in the trade during the offseason that sent Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic.

The Suns, who were outscored 64-48 in the second half, were led by Amare Stoudemire’s 25 points and 15 rebounds. Steve Nash, who has been playing very well early in the 2009-10 NBA season, was held to 12 points and four assists.

The Suns next take on the Boston Celtics on Friday night, while the Magic play the Detroit Pistons on the same day.

Dwight Howard and the Magic and very good once again (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Magic Hand Suns First Defeat

In preseason action, the Magic smashed the Hornets by a final score of 121-86. Orlando was led by Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter — two players they acquired via a trade with the New Jersey Nets. Anderson had 22 points in 19 minutes, while Carter had 18 points in 33 minutes. Combined, the two players hit 9-of-14 three-pointers.

For the Hornets, David West and Chris Paul led the way. West had 14 points, while Paul had 13 points and six assists. Julian Wright, Devin Brown and Marcus Thornton were the other players in double figures for New Orleans.

The Magic, led by superstar Dwight Howard, have a stacked roster and look very capable of winning the Eastern Conference once again. The Hornets also improved in the offseason and should see more wins this year — but they’ll have to do much better than they did on Tuesday.

Dwight Howard has even more help this season (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Magic Smash Hornets in Preseason Action

He’s currently on that 1st round fence.

I routinely get the feeling that a lot of the non west coasters don’t know much about Ryan. They recognize his name, but don’t really know his game.

He’s been called a tweener and unathletic, but many players have escaped that tag and gone on to be great, so there’s no point in putting any effort into those labels.

He averaged 21 ppg his sophomore year at Cal, good for best scoring average in the Pac 10, for what it’s worth.

Rod Benson, the Dakota Wizards star, has his own movement, the Boom Tho movement, and also blogs for Yahoo Sports as well.
The guy entertains his Boom Tho supporters (I’m one) by often posting amusing stories and videos about D-League life in North Dakota.

Benson has put up some quality numbers in the D-League in recent years but has yet to be signed by a NBA team. He compares himself to Kevin Garnett, except he says “I ain’t worth a dollar.”

This clip chronicles some of Ryan Anderson’s draft prep so far, Rod Benson style. Check it out.

Post from: EveryJoe

D-League wonder Rod Benson “interviews” Cal’s Ryan Anderson