The Magic still want to win games, but making sure everyone is rested for the playoffs is becoming more important. The real trick now is doing both.
The Magic (54-18) remain on track to crack the 60-win mark this season, but coach Stan Van Gundy also is being careful not to play his starters too many minutes in doing it. In Friday night's victory over Milwaukee, five reserves played at least 15 minutes. Hedo Turkoglu played 33 minutes, the most of any starter. "We're very cognizant of getting guys their rest," Van Gundy said. "But I think giving them days off the court is better than just cutting three or four minutes off their night."
The Magic rarely have practiced recently on off days, preferring to do most of their preparation on game-day mornings during the shoot-arounds.
The Magic are hoping to break the franchise record for victories (60), but they also want to grab the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are battling Boston for the right to be No. 2. They beat the Celtics (55-19) Wednesday night in Orlando to take a slight lead, but only by percentage points.
The No. 2 seed would assure them the home-court advantage in the second round of the playoffs, assuming they advance past the first.
The Magic are taking off Saturday to do their annual charity gala, but they are expecting a light practice Sunday before returning to work Monday night in Miami against the Heat.
MAGIC 110, BUCKS 94: Balance is a great thing this late in the season because it keeps everyone happy and everyone rested. Rashard Lewis led the Magic to an easy victory over the Milwaukee Bucks when he had 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Dwight Howard followed with 18 points and eight rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu had 18 points, and nine rebounds. The Magic beat the Bucks in every quarter, extending their lead in the closing minutes.
