Orlando Magic 103, Denver Nuggets 97: The Morning After

Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse features J.J. Redick in his gamer and gets coach Stan Van Gundy's thoughts on his strong play.

"I thought the key to J.J.'s performance was the rest I gave him at the beginning of the game, so he could be fresh,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy joked. "That was the most we've played anyone this season. He is one of the best -- if not the best -- conditioned guys in the league. He was tremendous.''

John Hollinger of ESPN.com praises Redick and Ryan Anderson because "[e]ach played arguably his best game in a Magic uniform" when called upon. But he points out another factor instrumental in Orlando's victory:

Although [Dwight Howard] blocked only two shots, his help defense against Carmelo Anthony was tremendous, with Howard constantly meeting Anthony near the rim to thwart attempted drives. Anthony scored 25 points but needed 25 shots to do it and had only two assists against the league's top-ranked squad in Defensive Efficiency.

Josh Robbins highlights Jameer Nelson's play in yesterday's win. Nelson contributed 16 points and 4 assists despite facing 2 major obstacles: his jammed right (shooting) thumb and Denver's Chauncey Billups.

Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel writes about the solid job Orlando did keeping Denver off the foul line.

As it turned out the refs let a lot of things go on both ends of the court. Still, the free-throw disparity was evident. The Magic shot 22 free throws while the Nuggets shot 11 — only four of which came in the first three quarters.

The 11 attempts breaks the Nuggets' previous season-low of 16, established March 1st against Phoenix.