CLEVELAND — The Orlando Magic realize they have a long road ahead of them, but they chose to enjoy a moment of celebration Sunday night.

Orlando clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 100-84 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, a win that allowed coach Stan Van Gundy and his players to briefly forget about their team’s growing injury list, which seems to expand by the day.

“A lot of these guys have been in the playoffs every year and you can take it for granted, but it’s nice to have it done with six games left,” Van Gundy said. “This was a really, really, really good win for us. Tonight was very satisfying.”

Jameer Nelson scored 21 points and Orlando led from wire-to-wire despite the continued absence of Dwight Howard, who missed his fourth straight game with a herniated disk in his back. Van Gundy said before the game he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and the playoffs without his star center, who is averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Forward Hedo Turkoglu (facial fracture) has missed the last five games, leading Van Gundy to say he would consider it a bonus if the two players are available for the postseason.

Orlando took another injury hit in the first quarter when Glen Davis, who had played well at center with Howard sidelined, sustained a sprained right knee and didn’t return. He will undergo a further examination Monday prior to the Magic’s home game with Philadelphia.

“He hyperextended his knee, so my guess would be that he’d not play,” Van Gundy said. “I haven’t been told anything officially, though.”

“Nobody got discouraged or rattled when “Big Baby” went down,” Nelson said. “We just executed well, and when we take care of the basketball, we get good shots.”

While Orlando could go into the playoffs without several key weapons, its players chose to feel good about themselves Sunday.

“We haven’t had the best of luck with injuries, so this is great tonight,” said forward Ryan Anderson. “Making the playoffs is big for us, but the way we did it was even better. Everybody stepped up and we played team basketball.”

Jason Richardson added 16 points for Orlando, which had five players in double figures. J.J. Redick scored 13.

Antawn Jamison led the Cavaliers with 21 points. Donald Sloan scored a career-high 15.

Cleveland completed its only set of back-to-back-to-back games this season. The Cavaliers lost in Indiana on Friday and picked up a road win in Washington on Saturday. Cleveland coach Byron Scott admitted his team, which committed 18 turnovers, was dragging.

“I thought so, which is understandable,” he said. “Our guys tried to fight through it and keep playing hard. You, all of a sudden, have a little bit of a lack of focus when you’re tired. We don’t use that as an excuse.”

The Cavaliers again played without rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his 10th straight game with a sprained right shoulder. Scott ruled Irving out for Tuesday’s game in Detroit, but added it’s possible he’ll return Wednesday night when Cleveland hosts Philadelphia.

Scott said there’s “a chance that Kyrie doesn’t come back this season, but I think there is a better chance that he plays.”

It’s uncertain if center Anderson Varejao will return this season. He hasn’t played since sustaining a fractured right wrist on Feb. 10. Varejao’s possible return remains up in the air because the coach said his wrist was “still sore, so we’re going to have our doctors take a look at it in the next few days.”

Orlando was in control throughout in the battle of short-handed teams in extending its winning streak over Cleveland to nine games. The Cavaliers scored 15 points in each of the first two quarters and shot 28.9 percent in the first half.

The Magic originally said Howard had back spasms, but an examination in Los Angeles revealed the disk injury. He will rest the injury for 10 days and will then be re-evaluated. Howard joined his teammates in Cleveland, but remained at the Magic’s hotel during the game. He accompanied the team back to Orlando, where the Magic host Philadelphia on Monday.

Davis was injured when he went up for a shot and came down awkwardly on his right leg. He crumpled to the floor and was down for a couple of minutes. Davis walked with a noticeable limp to the locker room. He had six points and two rebounds in seven minutes.

Earl Clark and Daniel Orton filled in at center when Davis left the game. Clark scored a season-high 13 points while Orton added a career-high 11. Orton had appeared in only nine career games going into Sunday, playing 45 minutes with six points and 10 rebounds. He was Orlando’s No. 1 pick in 2010, but didn’t appear in a game last season and is technically a rookie.

Orton’s performance was rewarded when Davis dumped water over his head in the locker room following the game.

“I got a little winded at times, but the adrenalin kept me going,” Orton said.

NOTES: Anderson had a game-high 13 rebounds. … The Magic haven’t lost to the Cavaliers since Feb. 11, 2010, a 115-106 defeat in Cleveland. … Moondog, the Cavaliers’ floppy-eared mascot returned to the court. He sustained an eye injury after being accidentially punched in the mask by Indiana’s David West on Wednesday.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEVELAND — The Orlando Magic realize they have a long road ahead of them, but they chose to enjoy a moment of celebration Sunday night.

Orlando clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 100-84 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, a win that allowed coach Stan Van Gundy and his players to briefly forget about their team’s growing injury list, which seems to expand by the day.

“A lot of these guys have been in the playoffs every year and you can take it for granted, but it’s nice to have it done with six games left,” Van Gundy said. “This was a really, really, really good win for us. Tonight was very satisfying.”

Jameer Nelson scored 21 points and Orlando led from wire-to-wire despite the continued absence of Dwight Howard, who missed his fourth straight game with a herniated disk in his back. Van Gundy said before the game he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and the playoffs without his star centre, who is averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Forward Hedo Turkoglu (facial fracture) has missed the last five games, leading Van Gundy to say he would consider it a bonus if the two players are available for the post-season.

Orlando took another injury hit in the first quarter when Glen Davis, who had played well at centre with Howard sidelined, sustained a sprained right knee and didn’t return. He will undergo a further examination Monday prior to the Magic’s home game with Philadelphia.

“He hyperextended his knee, so my guess would be that he’d not play,” Van Gundy said. “I haven’t been told anything officially, though.”

“Nobody got discouraged or rattled when “Big Baby” went down,” Nelson said. “We just executed well, and when we take care of the basketball, we get good shots.”

While Orlando could go into the playoffs without several key weapons, its players chose to feel good about themselves Sunday.

“We haven’t had the best of luck with injuries, so this is great tonight,” said forward Ryan Anderson. “Making the playoffs is big for us, but the way we did it was even better. Everybody stepped up and we played team basketball.”

Jason Richardson added 16 points for Orlando, which had five players in double figures. J.J. Redick scored 13.

Antawn Jamison led the Cavaliers with 21 points. Donald Sloan scored a career-high 15.

Cleveland completed its only set of back-to-back-to-back games this season. The Cavaliers lost in Indiana on Friday and picked up a road win in Washington on Saturday. Cleveland coach Byron Scott admitted his team, which committed 18 turnovers, was dragging.

“I thought so, which is understandable,” he said. “Our guys tried to fight through it and keep playing hard. You, all of a sudden, have a little bit of a lack of focus when you’re tired. We don’t use that as an excuse.”

The Cavaliers again played without rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his 10th straight game with a sprained right shoulder. Scott ruled Irving out for Tuesday’s game in Detroit, but added it’s possible he’ll return Wednesday night when Cleveland hosts Philadelphia.

Scott said there’s “a chance that Kyrie doesn’t come back this season, but I think there is a better chance that he plays.”

It’s uncertain if centre Anderson Varejao will return this season. He hasn’t played since sustaining a fractured right wrist on Feb. 10. Varejao’s possible return remains up in the air because the coach said his wrist was “still sore, so we’re going to have our doctors take a look at it in the next few days.”

Orlando was in control throughout in the battle of short-handed teams in extending its winning streak over Cleveland to nine games. The Cavaliers scored 15 points in each of the first two quarters and shot 28.9 per cent in the first half.

The Magic originally said Howard had back spasms, but an examination in Los Angeles revealed the disk injury. He will rest the injury for 10 days and will then be re-evaluated. Howard joined his teammates in Cleveland, but remained at the Magic’s hotel during the game. He accompanied the team back to Orlando, where the Magic host Philadelphia on Monday.

Davis was injured when he went up for a shot and came down awkwardly on his right leg. He crumpled to the floor and was down for a couple of minutes. Davis walked with a noticeable limp to the locker room. He had six points and two rebounds in seven minutes.

Earl Clark and Daniel Orton filled in at centre when Davis left the game. Clark scored a season-high 13 points while Orton added a career-high 11. Orton had appeared in only nine career games going into Sunday, playing 45 minutes with six points and 10 rebounds. He was Orlando’s No. 1 pick in 2010, but didn’t appear in a game last season and is technically a rookie.

Orton’s performance was rewarded when Davis dumped water over his head in the locker room following the game.

“I got a little winded at times, but the adrenalin kept me going,” Orton said.

NOTES: Anderson had a game-high 13 rebounds. … The Magic haven’t lost to the Cavaliers since Feb. 11, 2010, a 115-106 defeat in Cleveland. … Moondog, the Cavaliers’ floppy-eared mascot returned to the court. He sustained an eye injury after being accidentially punched in the mask by Indiana’s David West on Wednesday.

CBSSports.com wire reports
April 15, 2012

CLEVELAND — The Orlando Magic realize they have a long road ahead of them, but they chose to enjoy a moment of celebration Sunday night.

Orlando clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 100-84 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, a win that allowed coach Stan Van Gundy and his players to briefly forget about their team’s growing injury list, which seems to expand by the day.

“A lot of these guys have been in the playoffs every year and you can take it for granted, but it’s nice to have it done with six games left,” Van Gundy said. “This was a really, really, really good win for us. Tonight was very satisfying.”

Jameer Nelson scored 21 points and Orlando led from wire-to-wire despite the continued absence of Dwight Howard, who missed his fourth straight game with a herniated disk in his back. Van Gundy said before the game he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and the playoffs without his star center, who is averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Forward Hedo Turkoglu (facial fracture) has missed the last five games, leading Van Gundy to say he would consider it a bonus if the two players are available for the postseason.

Orlando took another injury hit in the first quarter when Glen Davis, who had played well at center with Howard sidelined, sustained a sprained right knee and didn’t return. He will undergo a further examination Monday prior to the Magic’s home game with Philadelphia.

“He hyperextended his knee, so my guess would be that he’d not play,” Van Gundy said. “I haven’t been told anything officially, though.”

“Nobody got discouraged or rattled when “Big Baby” went down,” Nelson said. “We just executed well, and when we take care of the basketball, we get good shots.”

While Orlando could go into the playoffs without several key weapons, its players chose to feel good about themselves Sunday.

“We haven’t had the best of luck with injuries, so this is great tonight,” said forward Ryan Anderson. “Making the playoffs is big for us, but the way we did it was even better. Everybody stepped up and we played team basketball.”

Jason Richardson added 16 points for Orlando, which had five players in double figures. J.J. Redick scored 13.

Antawn Jamison led the Cavaliers with 21 points. Donald Sloan scored a career-high 15.

Cleveland completed its only set of back-to-back-to-back games this season. The Cavaliers lost in Indiana on Friday and picked up a road win in Washington on Saturday. Cleveland coach Byron Scott admitted his team, which committed 18 turnovers, was dragging.

“I thought so, which is understandable,” he said. “Our guys tried to fight through it and keep playing hard. You, all of a sudden, have a little bit of a lack of focus when you’re tired. We don’t use that as an excuse.”

The Cavaliers again played without rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his 10th straight game with a sprained right shoulder. Scott ruled Irving out for Tuesday’s game in Detroit, but added it’s possible he’ll return Wednesday night when Cleveland hosts Philadelphia.

Scott said there’s “a chance that Kyrie doesn’t come back this season, but I think there is a better chance that he plays.”

It’s uncertain if center Anderson Varejao will return this season. He hasn’t played since sustaining a fractured right wrist on Feb. 10. Varejao’s possible return remains up in the air because the coach said his wrist was “still sore, so we’re going to have our doctors take a look at it in the next few days.”

Orlando was in control throughout in the battle of short-handed teams in extending its winning streak over Cleveland to nine games. The Cavaliers scored 15 points in each of the first two quarters and shot 28.9 percent in the first half.

The Magic originally said Howard had back spasms, but an examination in Los Angeles revealed the disk injury. He will rest the injury for 10 days and will then be re-evaluated. Howard joined his teammates in Cleveland, but remained at the Magic’s hotel during the game. He accompanied the team back to Orlando, where the Magic host Philadelphia on Monday.

Davis was injured when he went up for a shot and came down awkwardly on his right leg. He crumpled to the floor and was down for a couple of minutes. Davis walked with a noticeable limp to the locker room. He had six points and two rebounds in seven minutes.

Earl Clark and Daniel Orton filled in at center when Davis left the game. Clark scored a season-high 13 points while Orton added a career-high 11. Orton had appeared in only nine career games going into Sunday, playing 45 minutes with six points and 10 rebounds. He was Orlando’s No. 1 pick in 2010, but didn’t appear in a game last season and is technically a rookie.

Orton’s performance was rewarded when Davis dumped water over his head in the locker room following the game.

“I got a little winded at times, but the adrenalin kept me going,” Orton said.

Notes

• Anderson had a game-high 13 rebounds.
• The Magic haven’t lost to the Cavaliers since Feb. 11, 2010, a 115-106 defeat in Cleveland.
• Moondog, the Cavaliers’ floppy-eared mascot returned to the court. He sustained an eye injury after being accidentially punched in the mask by Indiana’s David West on Wednesday.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and playoffs without injured star Dwight Howard.

Howard will miss his fourth straight game with a back injury Sunday against the Cavaliers. He was diagnosed with a herniated disk last week. Howard will rest the injury for 10 days and then be re-evaluated.

Van Gundy said before Sunday’s game that he would consider it a bonus if Howard or forward Hedo Turkoglu, who is sidelined with a facial fracture, return at some point this season. The playoffs begin April 28.

“We’re approaching it that the 13 (healthy) guys we have now are who we’re going to have the rest of the season and in the playoffs,” Van Gundy said.

Howard joined his teammates in Cleveland, but a team spokesman said he would remain at the Magic’s hotel during the game. He will accompany the team back to Orlando, where the Magic host Philadelphia on Friday.

Orlando, which is sixth in the Eastern Conference, can clinch a playoff spot with a win Sunday. The Magic were 1-4 without their standout center going into the game.

Howard has missed six games overall with the injury. The team initially said he had back spasms. He hasn’t played since scoring 20 points and grabbing 22 rebounds on April 7 against Philadelphia. Howard was diagnosed with the herniated disk on Friday in Los Angeles.

Before this season, Howard had only missed two games in his career because of injury.

Howard is averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Turkoglu, who has started 52 games, hasn’t played since April 5. He’s averaging 10.7 points and is shooting 34.9 percent on 3-pointers.

With Howard and Turkoglu sidelined, Van Gundy said he will keep his current lineup intact with Glen Davis at center with Jason Richardson and Ryan Anderson at forward. J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson start in the backcourt.

“You never know, but that’s who I plan to start the rest of the way,” Van Gundy said.

Howard’s injury is the latest drama in the Magic’s ongoing soap opera that has grabbed more attention than the team’s record. Howard has been the subject of season-long trade rumors until declaring his intention to remain in Orlando for one more year. The controversy continued earlier this month when Van Gundy acknowledged that Howard asked team management to fire him. Howard has since denied that.

Copyright 2012 USA TODAY

CLEVELAND (AP) Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and playoffs without injured star Dwight Howard.

Howard will miss his fourth straight game with a back injury Sunday against the Cavaliers. He was diagnosed with a herniated disk last week. Howard will rest the injury for 10 days and then be re-evaluated.

Van Gundy said before Sunday’s game that he would consider it a bonus if Howard or forward Hedo Turkoglu, who is sidelined with a facial fracture, return at some point this season. The playoffs begin April 28.

”We’re approaching it that the 13 (healthy) guys we have now are who we’re going to have the rest of the season and in the playoffs,” Van Gundy said.

Howard joined his teammates in Cleveland, but a team spokesman said he would remain at the Magic’s hotel during the game. He will accompany the team back to Orlando, where the Magic host Philadelphia on Friday.

Orlando, which is sixth in the Eastern Conference, can clinch a playoff spot with a win Sunday. The Magic were 1-4 without their standout center going into the game.

Howard has missed six games overall with the injury. The team initially said he had back spasms. He hasn’t played since scoring 20 points and grabbing 22 rebounds on April 7 against Philadelphia. Howard was diagnosed with the herniated disk on Friday in Los Angeles.

Before this season, Howard had only missed two games in his career because of injury.

Howard is averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Turkoglu, who has started 52 games, hasn’t played since April 5. He’s averaging 10.7 points and is shooting 34.9 percent on 3-pointers.

With Howard and Turkoglu sidelined, Van Gundy said he will keep his current lineup intact with Glen Davis at center with Jason Richardson and Ryan Anderson at forward. J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson start in the backcourt.

”You never know, but that’s who I plan to start the rest of the way,” Van Gundy said.

Howard’s injury is the latest drama in the Magic’s ongoing soap opera that has grabbed more attention than the team’s record. Howard has been the subject of season-long trade rumors until declaring his intention to remain in Orlando for one more year. The controversy continued earlier this month when Van Gundy acknowledged that Howard asked team management to fire him. Howard has since denied that.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and playoffs without injured star Dwight Howard.

Howard will miss his fourth straight game with a back injury Sunday against the Cavaliers. He was diagnosed with a herniated disk last week. Howard will rest the injury for 10 days and then be re-evaluated.

Van Gundy said before Sunday’s game that he would consider it a bonus if Howard or forward Hedo Turkoglu, who is sidelined with a facial fracture, return at some point this season. The playoffs begin April 28.

“We’re approaching it that the 13 (healthy) guys we have now are who we’re going to have the rest of the season and in the playoffs,” Van Gundy said.

Howard joined his teammates in Cleveland, but a team spokesman said he would remain at the Magic’s hotel during the game. He will accompany the team back to Orlando, where the Magic host Philadelphia on Friday.

Orlando, which is sixth in the Eastern Conference, can clinch a playoff spot with a win Sunday. The Magic were 1-4 without their standout center going into the game.

Howard has missed six games overall with the injury. The team initially said he had back spasms. He hasn’t played since scoring 20 points and grabbing 22 rebounds on April 7 against Philadelphia. Howard was diagnosed with the herniated disk on Friday in Los Angeles.

Before this season, Howard had only missed two games in his career because of injury.

Howard is averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Turkoglu, who has started 52 games, hasn’t played since April 5. He’s averaging 10.7 points and is shooting 34.9 percent on 3-pointers.

With Howard and Turkoglu sidelined, Van Gundy said he will keep his current lineup intact with Glen Davis at center with Jason Richardson and Ryan Anderson at forward. J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson start in the backcourt.

“You never know, but that’s who I plan to start the rest of the way,” Van Gundy said.

Howard’s injury is the latest drama in the Magic’s ongoing soap opera that has grabbed more attention than the team’s record. Howard has been the subject of season-long trade rumors until declaring his intention to remain in Orlando for one more year. The controversy continued earlier this month when Van Gundy acknowledged that Howard asked team management to fire him. Howard has since denied that.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and playoffs without injured star Dwight Howard.

Howard will miss his fourth straight game with a back injury Sunday against the Cavaliers. He was diagnosed with a herniated disk last week. Howard will rest the injury for 10 days and then be re-evaluated.

Van Gundy said before Sunday’s game that he would consider it a bonus if Howard or forward Hedo Turkoglu, who is sidelined with a facial fracture, return at some point this season. The playoffs begin April 28.

“We’re approaching it that the 13 (healthy) guys we have now are who we’re going to have the rest of the season and in the playoffs,” Van Gundy said.

Howard joined his teammates in Cleveland, but a team spokesman said he would remain at the Magic’s hotel during the game. He will accompany the team back to Orlando, where the Magic host Philadelphia on Friday.

Orlando, which is sixth in the Eastern Conference, can clinch a playoff spot with a win Sunday. The Magic were 1-4 without their standout center going into the game.

Howard has missed six games overall with the injury. The team initially said he had back spasms. He hasn’t played since scoring 20 points and grabbing 22 rebounds on April 7 against Philadelphia. Howard was diagnosed with the herniated disk on Friday in Los Angeles.

Before this season, Howard had only missed two games in his career because of injury.

Howard is averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Turkoglu, who has started 52 games, hasn’t played since April 5. He’s averaging 10.7 points and is shooting 34.9 percent on 3-pointers.

With Howard and Turkoglu sidelined, Van Gundy said he will keep his current lineup intact with Glen Davis at center with Jason Richardson and Ryan Anderson at forward. J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson start in the backcourt.

“You never know, but that’s who I plan to start the rest of the way,” Van Gundy said.

Howard’s injury is the latest drama in the Magic’s ongoing soap opera that has grabbed more attention than the team’s record. Howard has been the subject of season-long trade rumors until declaring his intention to remain in Orlando for one more year. The controversy continued earlier this month when Van Gundy acknowledged that Howard asked team management to fire him. Howard has since denied that.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dwight Howard stood near the court in his tailored gray suit, complete with vest and eye-glasses, urging on his Orlando Magic teammates.

He looked more suited to be on Wall Street, and it was the Washington Wizards (14-44) who took care of business with the injured all-star center posing as a cheerleader.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was sorely missed.

The Magic (34-24), still trying to nail down a playoff spot, fell to the lottery-bound Wizards 93-85 on Tuesday night at Verizon Center.

The Wizards, Kevin Seraphin in particular, took advantage of Howard’s shot-blocking absence against slow-footed Magic defenders and shot 50 percent.

Seraphin finished with 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting as Washington outscored Orlando in the paint, 40-34.

Howard missed his fourth game in his last six outings because of a sore back. He is targeting Friday night’s game in Orlando against the Atlanta Hawks for a possible return.

Point guard Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 19 points while J.J. Redick had 15 and Quentin Richardson 14.

In a surprise move, coach Stan Van Gundy promoted Ish Smith as Nelson’s backup at point guard even though Chris Duhon returned from a one-game suspension without pay. Duhon missed Monday’s shootaround and did not play against the Wizards, although he was activated.

Duhon said he was wrong not to have “communicated” with the team and alerted them to the problem. He said he is dealing with a “personal issue” that still is not resolved.

“I had to take care of my house first,” Duhon said, meaning his family. “I’m still dealing with the issue.”

Asked about Smith taking over his role, Duhon said, “I talked to Stan. He’s giving me time to keep my head straight.”

The Magic, also missing small forward Hedo Turkoglu (facial fractures), had little energy as the night wore on after beating the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Van Gundy saw the warning signs early that the team was running on fumes.

“We looked absolutely dead,” he said.

Van Gundy spotted the heavy legs under Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who had been filling in nicely for Howard. Like most teammates who were late on defensive rotations, Davis couldn’t stay with Seraphin, the Wizards’ back-up center who was starting for Nene’ Hilario (foot).

“Glen was worn out,” Van Gundy said. “He tried…He was moving very slowly.”

The Magic have let down and lost to various bottom-feeders all season — the Wizards, the Pistons (twice), Bobcats and Hornets.

The Magic led by as many as 13 early, paced by J.J. Redick’s 11 first-quarter points. They fizzled offensively after that as the game turned in the second period.

The Wizards outscored the Magic, 23-12, to tie it at 41 at halftime. They scored nearly half of their points (20) in the paint. Seraphin scored 14 of his points on 7-of-10 shooting, eight in the second quarter.

The Magic took a 65-64 lead after Davis’ free throw, but never led again, unable to get stops down the stretch. A momentum swing went the Wizards’ way when Jason Richardson missed a 3-pointer and Cartier Martin came back to hit a 3.

“A rough night,” Van Gundy said.

bschmitz@tribunecom.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Orlando Magic senior vice president Pat Williams, who helped found the franchise in 1989, said Monday he would like to see star center Dwight Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy both remain with the franchise for a long time.

Williams said restoring the team’s health and winning would do a lot to help the franchise move past recent turmoil, capped when Van Gundy last week said that Howard wanted him fired. The coach and the star later met with Magic general manager Otis Smith, agreeing to co-exist the rest of the season and put the team first.

“Finish well and then have a wonderful run in the playoffs — that would probably cure most of the issues,” Williams told The Associated Press before a scheduled speaking appearance at Michigan State University.

Howard is expected to sit out Orlando’s home game Monday against Detroit because of back spasms. The Magic snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Philadelphia on Saturday.

Orlando would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. Williams said he would like to see both his coach and star player in Orlando for a long time after that.

“I don’t know that you can find a better NBA coach than Stan Van Gundy out there,” Williams said.

The long-time NBA executive said Howard is the “centerpiece” of the Magic, and the franchise is trying to prove to him that a title can be won in Orlando.

Williams acknowledged some potential areas of improvement for both coach and player.

Williams said Van Gundy would admit that he can sometimes be too negative. And he said that while Howard has “grown up a lot” there is still room for maturation on his end.

“I think this shook them both up — that’s my opinion,” Williams said of the incident last week. “I think they’re going to better for it.”

“I’ve been on the same theme with you guys and with the team for two months,” Van Gundy told reporters. “We don’t guard, so we’re not going anywhere. If it doesn’t change, we’re not going anywhere. We do not guard.”

Not surprisingly, the problem worsened when reigning three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard missed the last two games with back spasms.

On Sunday, the Denver Nuggets made 55.6 percent of their shot attempts, the highest field-goal percentage by a Magic opponent this season. On Tuesday, the Detroit Pistons topped that mark by making 56.6 percent of their shots.

The Magic, who have lost four consecutive games, will face another challenge when they host the New York Knicks tonight. Orlando’s official injury report says decisions on whether Howard and injured point guard Jameer Nelson will play won’t be made until gametime.

But the Magic’s defense has declined even with Howard in the lineup.

Last season, Orlando allowed 99.1 points per 100 possessions, the third-best figure in the league, according to the NBA’s official statistics database. This season, Orlando is allowing 100.7 points per 100 possessions and ranks 12th.

And if you think the difference stems from Howard missing Orlando’s last two games, think again. Last season, Howard missed four games.

“We won’t contend for nothing if we don’t play defense,” big man Glen Davis said.

“I don’t care how many 3s we shoot. I don’t care how many dunks we make. We won’t win if we don’t play defense. We might as well just cancel Christmas and just pack it home for the regular season, because the teams that are successful are the teams that play defense. Right now, we’ve got to find it.”

Magic players have said the right things for most of the season, but improvement on the court hasn’t followed.

Van Gundy said after the loss to Detroit that most of the Magic’s players, like most players in the NBA, “are concerned a lot more about their offense than their defense, judge themselves a lot more by their offense than their defense.”

“We have some guys really struggling offensively to get the ball in the basket,” Van Gundy added. “I think that’s where their minds are rather than at the defensive end of the court. I’m not trying to be negative; it’s just the truth. You can’t keep giving up 56 percent the other night and 57 percent [Tuesday].”

Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Redick have struggled offensively in recent games.

On Tuesday, the Pistons received balanced scoring up and down their lineup, so it would be tough to pinpoint just one or two positions where the Magic need to improve.

Yet the Magic are a veteran team.

Asked why it’s taken this long for the Magic to find their defensive footing, Richardson answered, “I have no answer for that one. We’ve got to figure it out. We’ve got three weeks until the playoffs come, and if we want to be contenders, we definitely have to figure that out.”

jbrobbins@tribune.com.

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