Stan Van Gundy often says he doesn’t care anything about acrobatic dunks, but even Van Gundy had to love what he saw from his starting shooting guard midway through the first quarter Friday night.

Jason Richardson elevated into the air, caught an alley-oop pass from Chris Duhon and slammed home a dunk with his back to the hoop.

The Magic need more from Richardson this season — more points, more defense, more energy — for the team to reach its potential, and that explains why the dunk was such a welcome sight. After missing two games to rest an injured knee, Richardson scored 19 points to help the Magic beat the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers 102-94 at Amway Center.

“I don’t have too many of those left,” the 31-year-old Richardson said, referring to his dunk.

“I’ve got to save those.”

Richardson faded a bit in the second half, to be sure, but he received plenty of help.

Four teammates scored in double figures, including Dwight Howard, who overcame Cleveland’s late-game Hack-a-Howard strategy to finish with 19 points, 16 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks.

It might be a moot point to look too far ahead with the Magic. Howard still wants a trade, and if the front office sends him to another team, the roster will take a dramatically different look.

Still, if the Magic keep Howard, team officials know consistent second and third scoring options must emerge. Although Ryan Anderson has filled the void most nights, Van Gundy wants to involve both Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu more. Both Richardson and Turkoglu played poorly in last spring’s first round, and consistently strong performances by Howard in those playoff games weren’t enough to save the Magic from being eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks.

On Friday against the Cavaliers, Turkoglu scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

“Him and J-Rich did an excellent job of trying to get to the basket and just taking shots, and we need that from those guys,” Howard said.

“Those guys have got to continue to do that for our team to be successful.”

Tonight should be a little tougher for Richardson and the Magic (14-9) than Friday was against the Cavaliers (8-13).

The Magic will play the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. The improved Pacers have become a tough opponent, but circumstances will make the game harder for the Magic.

With Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, there are no hotel rooms available in the city, so the Magic were scheduled to spend the night in northern Kentucky, then fly during the day today to Indy.

That extra travel on a gameday, on the second day of a back-to-back, could cause extra problems for Richardson, who still is suffering from what team officials say is a bone bruise in his left knee.

No matter how he feels, the Magic will have to bring more sustained energy against the Pacers than against Cleveland.

On Friday, the Cavaliers piled up 19 second-chance shots and scored 19 fastbreak points.

“You simply can’t be a real good team if you can’t get back [on defense] and you can’t rebound the ball,” Van Gundy said.

The Cavs closed the gap late after they started to foul Howard down the stretch. Howard didn’t attempt his first free throw until 5:55 remained in regulation. He would go on to shoot 16 foul shots and make nine of them.

“Until I get better at the line, they’re going to continue to do it,” Howard said.

And that’s just one more reason why the Magic need more from Richardson.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Stan Van Gundy often says he doesn’t care anything about acrobatic dunks, but even Van Gundy had to love what he saw from his starting shooting guard midway through the first quarter Friday night.

Jason Richardson elevated into the air, caught an alley-oop pass from Chris Duhon and slammed home a dunk with his back to the hoop.

The Magic need more from Richardson this season — more points, more defense, more energy — for the team to reach its potential, and that explains why the dunk was such a welcome sight. After missing two games to rest an injured knee, Richardson scored 19 points to help the Magic beat the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers 102-94 at Amway Center.

“I don’t have too many of those left,” the 31-year-old Richardson said, referring to his dunk.

“I’ve got to save those.”

Richardson faded a bit in the second half, to be sure, but he received plenty of help.

Four teammates scored in double figures, including Dwight Howard, who overcame Cleveland’s late-game Hack-a-Howard strategy to finish with 19 points, 16 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks.

It might be a moot point to look too far ahead with the Magic. Howard still wants a trade, and if the front office sends him to another team, the roster will take a dramatically different look.

Still, if the Magic keep Howard, team officials know consistent second and third scoring options must emerge. Although Ryan Anderson has filled the void most nights, Van Gundy wants to involve both Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu more. Both Richardson and Turkoglu played poorly in last spring’s first round, and consistently strong performances by Howard in those playoff games weren’t enough to save the Magic from being eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks.

On Friday against the Cavaliers, Turkoglu scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

“Him and J-Rich did an excellent job of trying to get to the basket and just taking shots, and we need that from those guys,” Howard said.

“Those guys have got to continue to do that for our team to be successful.”

Tonight should be a little tougher for Richardson and the Magic (14-9) than Friday was against the Cavaliers (8-13).

The Magic will play the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. The improved Pacers have become a tough opponent, but circumstances will make the game harder for the Magic.

With Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, there are no hotel rooms available in the city, so the Magic were scheduled to spend the night in northern Kentucky, then fly during the day today to Indy.

That extra travel on a gameday, on the second day of a back-to-back, could cause extra problems for Richardson, who still is suffering from what team officials say is a bone bruise in his left knee.

No matter how he feels, the Magic will have to bring more sustained energy against the Pacers than against Cleveland.

On Friday, the Cavaliers piled up 19 second-chance shots and scored 19 fastbreak points.

“You simply can’t be a real good team if you can’t get back [on defense] and you can’t rebound the ball,” Van Gundy said.

The Cavs closed the gap late after they started to foul Howard down the stretch. Howard didn’t attempt his first free throw until 5:55 remained in regulation. He would go on to shoot 16 foul shots and make nine of them.

“Until I get better at the line, they’re going to continue to do it,” Howard said.

And that’s just one more reason why the Magic need more from Richardson.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

By Evan Dunlap

– Newsdesk contributor

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Jan 20, 2012 – The Orlando Magic (10-4) host the Los Angeles Lakers (10-6) in a rematch of the 2009 NBA Finals this Friday night. The nationally televised affair is set to tip at 8 Eastern on ESPN.

The San Antonio Spurs ended Orlando’s five-game winning streak Wednesday night, 85-83, in overtime. Tony Parker scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, shooting 8-of-11 from the field as the Magic, in their third game in as many nights, ran out of energy late. J.J. Redick drilled what would have been the game-winning three-pointer, but released the shot too late for it to count, allowing San Antonio to pick up its first road win of the season.

Los Angeles will be playing its second night of a back-to-back Friday against Orlando, coming off a 98-87 loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday. Los Angeles dropped to 1-5 on the road with that defeat, and its lone win away from STAPLES Center came in overtime against the Utah Jazz. Kobe Bryant scored 24 on 8-of-21 shooting against Miami, while Pau Gasol led L.A. with 26 points. The Lakers shot just 42 percent and allowed Miami to snare 15 offensive boards.

The Magic are 5-3 against the Lakers in regular-season action since the 2007/08 season, posting a 3-1 record in games played at home.

For more on the Magic, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation’s Magic blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit ESPN Los Angeles and Silver Screen and Roll, SB Nation’s Lakers blog.

Read More: Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic, Jan 20, 2012 8:00 PM EST

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It’s not that Magic coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t believe some teams can flip a mental switch prior to the postseason. He just doesn’t believe his team is one of them.

Dwight Howard had 26 points and 14 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 15 points and the Magic did just enough for an 89-77 victory over the short-handed Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night. But with six games left in the regular season, Van Gundy knows his team is far from playoff-ready.

“We have to play at a higher level than we did to tonight. We have to,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve got to start getting serious about it. … We’re gonna hit the switch and have no power.”

Quentin Richardson also had 14 points off the bench for the Magic, who snapped a two-game losing streak by improving to 3-0 against the Bobcats this season. But many of the sluggish offensive tendencies that have plagued the Magic recently were still present against Charlotte, a concern for Magic team that has also been struggling with injuries lately.

The Bobcats, who began the night chasing Indiana for the East’s final playoff spot, lost an opportunity to close the gap with just seven games to play. Dante Cunningham led Charlotte with 21 points and D.J. Augustin added 19.

The Magic were without reserve guards J.J. Redick, Gilbert Arenas and Chris Duhon, while the Bobcats played without starting forward Stephen Jackson, Tyrus Thomas and Shaun Livingston.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas said his team’s ability to compete despite the missing pieces is the biggest positive he took away from Friday’s loss.

“That’s exactly what’s driving us, even with being as short-handed as we are,” said Silas, whose team fell two games back of the Pacers, an 89-88 winner over Milwaukee on Friday night. “These guys are still playing with teams that we can beat.”

Kwame Brown said the lack of Jackson’s presence made the biggest difference.

“It’s very big,” Brown said. “That’s a 20-point scorer. He makes the defenses honest. They have to guard him. They packed in the paint on defense and kind of dared our guys to shoot.”

The Bobcats shot just 45 percent for the game and 1 of 9 from the 3-point line.

Orlando took command of the game by doing the best job of overcoming the holes in its rotation. The Magic led by as many as 12 in the first half and took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Bobcats scored the first two baskets of the final period to get within 70-64, but a 12-2 spurt by the Magic made it 88-66 with under 5 minutes to play.

That effectively ended any hopes of a Charlotte comeback.

The Bobcats had their toughest time adjusting offensively in the first half as the Magic built a 49-39 lead.

Howard exploited Charlotte’s frontcourt absences early, hitting 5 of 6 from the field and finishing with 11 points. Nelson had 11 of his own, while Bass and Richardson each had eight.

Howard also got in some rare rest in the opening 24 minutes as the Magic’s cushion hovered around double digits. Seldom-used Malik Allen logged some minutes when Howard was on the bench.

Cunningham and Augustin had 11 points apiece for Charlotte, which shot 47 percent from the field. The Bobcats’ bench produced only four points, though, and they were just 1 for 6 from beyond the arc.

The Magic had four 3s in the half and scored 13 points off eight turnovers.

Orlando shot a paltry 42 percent from the field for the game, but were saved by their nine 3s and 21 points off 13 turnovers. Orlando also had 12 turnovers of its own after committing just six in its previous outing against Atlanta.

They have little time to fix their problems, with a trip to Toronto on Sunday.

Forward Ryan Anderson said no one in the Magic’s locker room is pushing the panic button, though.

“Just the defensive end I think we really need to work on,” Anderson said. “Our defensive rotations and I think we’re turning the ball over a lot. Those are probably the two main focuses we need to work on for playoffs.

“I think that right now we’re trying to get better,” he said. “We’re not gonna have a lot of time to practice, the games are gonna be our practices.”

NOTES: Jackson was out with a strained left hamstring, Livingston with a bruised tailbone and Thomas with a sore left knee. … Van Gundy said it is “status quo” regarding the lower abdominal strain that’s kept G J.J. Redick sidelined 11 straight games. The team will know Monday or Tuesday what is possible for him the remainder of the season. … Arenas sat out after missing Friday’s morning shoot around because of “chills,” Van Gundy said. Duhon missed his second consecutive game with a ligament strain in his right thumb, but Van Gundy said an MRI exam revealed no broken bone. “We were a little worried and we’re hoping to get him back before the end of the regular season,” Van Gundy said. “I doubt he’ll play on Sunday, but maybe late next week we’ll be able to get him back. So that’s a good thing.”