NBA: Howard, Anderson help Magic rout Suns 122-100

ORLANDO, Fla. — Ryan Anderson had 20 and 10 rebounds, Dwight Howard scored 25 and the short-handed Orlando Magic defeated the previously unbeaten Phoenix Suns 122-100 on Wednesday night.

Playing without injured Vince Carter and suspended Rashard Lewis, the Magic built a 23-point lead in the third quarter to pull away from the Suns.

Amare Stoudemire finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds for Phoenix (4-1), which was looking to match the 1984-85 team for the franchise's best start. The Suns had come back from deficits in the first half but never did come close after the Magic built a big lead late.

Jameer Nelson added 16 points, and Mickael Pietrus had 15 points for the Magic. And they did it despite Carter missing the game with a sprained left ankle that coach Stan Van Gundy said doesn't appear serious, while Lewis is suspended for the first 10 games after testing positive for an elevated level of testosterone.

The Magic turned a close game into a blowout.

Led by a powerful performance by its front court, Orlando opened the third quarter with a 16-4 spurt. Howard and Anderson were slicing through the paint for dunks, and their dominant play inside opened up shots on the perimeter that Orlando — at times — couldn't seem to miss.

The Magic shot 52.2 percent from 3-point range and 52.3 percent from the field for the game. But they didn't get much resistance.

The Suns started slow for the second straight night.

Orlando used a flurry of 3-pointers, including a pair by Anderson, to take a 14-point lead in the first quarter that didn't last long. The Magic started missing, the Suns started running — as they so often do — and ended the period on a 12-2 run that tightened the gap to 29-25.

That seemed to be the early pattern.

The Magic's starters returned in the second quarter and, at first, hardly missed. That potent 3-point attack was in full force, with J.J. Redick and Pietrus connecting to open up an 11-point lead.

Howard picked up his third foul with 4:46 remaining in the half after he got tangled up with Jarron Collins underneath the basket. Then Howard picked up a technical foul for arguing.

Steve Nash and Stoudemire had the fast pace, pick-and-roll offense going strong early. And the pair helped the Suns trim Orlando's halftime lead to 58-52 with Howard on the bench.

NOTES: Phoenix played without Leandro Barbosa, who has battled a sore right wrist since the summer. Barbosa played in the Suns' first three games but has missed the last two. ... Pietrus returned to the lineup after missing the last two games with flu-like symptoms. He came off the bench in place of Matt Barnes. ... Suns F Grant Hill, a former Magic player whose career in Orlando was plagued by injuries, was booed nearly every time he touched the ball.