Without Howard, Magic ease way past Pistons
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Jason Richardson hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points, J.J. Redick had 20 points and the Orlando Magic eased past the Detroit Pistons 119-89 Monday night.
Glen Davis added 16 points and 16 rebounds starting in place of center Dwight Howard, who missed his third game in two weeks with back spasms.
All five Orlando starters reached double figures in the Magic’s first win over the Pistons this season.
The Magic also were playing without backup point guard Chris Duhon, who was suspended for the game for conduct detrimental to the team.
Tayshaun Prince led Detroit with 21 points and eight rebounds.
The Pistons lost their third straight game since a three-game winning streak. Detroit concludes its four-game road trip at Charlotte on Thursday.
With both Howard and Hedo Turkoglu (out for the regular-season with a facial fracture) missing from the starting lineup, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy inserted Davis and Redick into the lineup.
Neither player disappointed early, with Redick connecting from the outside and scoring eight first-quarter points, and Davis reaching double-double status just minutes into the second period.
Grizzlies 94, Clippers 85
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Marc Gasol scored 18 points, Rudy Gay had 16 and the Memphis Grizzlies held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo added 13 each for Memphis, which won for the eighth time in 10 games and moved one-half game behind the Clippers for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Marreese Speights finished had 12 points and Zach Randolph added 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies finished with a 48-36 rebounding edge, but committed 20 turnovers.
Wizards 113, Bobcats 85
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jordan Crawford scored 20 points and Washington got 67 points from their bench as the Wizards hammered the Charlotte Bobcats in a matchup of the NBA’s two worst teams.
James Singleton had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Cartier Martin chipped in with 19 points as the Wizards (13-44) swept the three-game season series from the Bobcats. John Wall scored just two points but had 12 assists.
Corey Maggette scored 23 points for the Bobcats (7-48), who lost their 12th straight.
It may have been a new low in Bobcats history losing by 28 points at home to the second-worst team in the league.
On the positive side, the Bobcats took a step closer to securing the worst record in the league and the best chance at the No. 1 pick in NBA draft lottery on May 30.
Pacers 103, Raptors 98
INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger and George Hill scored 18 points each as the Indiana Pacers took an early lead and held off the Toronto Raptors 103-98 Monday night.
Paul George had 15 points and Leandro Barbosa added 14 to help the Pacers win for the fourth time in their last five games. Hill, making his first start of the season in place of the injured Darren Collison, also had seven rebounds and four assists.
Linas Kleiza scored 18 points — all in the fourth quarter — as the Raptors tried to rally from a 15-point deficit at the start of the period. David Anderson had 17 points and Amir Johnson 16 for Toronto. Ed Davis added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Ivan Calderon had 14 assists.
Thunder 109, Bucks 89
MILWAUKEE — Russell Westbrook scored 26 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their second straight game, beating the Milwaukee Bucks in a game that featured seven technical fouls and an ejection of Bucks backup forward Larry Sanders.
Sanders was ejected after earning a pair of technicals in the second half, while Mike Dunleavy, Brandon Jennings and coach Scott Skiles also were assessed technicals for Milwaukee. Oklahoma City’s Nazr Mohammed and Serge Ibaka also were called for technicals.
Kevin Durant added 19 for the Thunder, who broke a three-game losing streak with a victory over Toronto on Sunday. Oklahoma City came into Monday’s game trailing San Antonio by percentage points for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Lakers 93, Hornets 91
NEW ORLEANS — Pau Gasol had 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Kobe Bryant’s absence to beat the New Orleans Hornets.
Bryant missed his second straight game with a sore left shin, but Ramon Sessions helped pick up the slack with 17 points, including a 3-pointer that put the Lakers ahead by six with 26 seconds left. Andrew Bynum added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who snapped a two-game skid.
