Reaction: Orlando Magic 94, New Jersey Nets 78

Howard put on a defensive clinic. His volleyball spike of Mehmet Okur’s lefty hook attempt in the first quarter that was sent into the stands was worthy of a highlight reel all on its own. The New Jersey Nets could do very little with Howard roaming the paint, as they inevitably chucked up a bunch of jumpers. That’s the Howard effect in full display.

Anderson just gets it on offense. Very rarely will you see him not attempt one of the three most efficient shots in basketball — the layup or dunk, free-throw, or three-pointer. As the Nets found out, when Anderson does mostly attempt those shots, his efficiency is deadly. Three games in, he has been a resounding success as the starting power forward.

It was another day in the office for Redick. What’s most impressive about Redick is his versatility on offense. He executed a staggered 2/4 pick-and-roll with Anderson and Glen Davis, feeding a bounce pass to Anderson for a layup. When he wasn’t busy running pick-and-rolls, he spotted up on the perimeter and bombed away from the three-point line. He made several layups in transition, too.

For Richardson, it must have been nice for him to string together a good quarter after two bad games to start the season. In the opening stanza of the game, he was able to attack the rim and connect on two alley-oop dunks. Richardon’s jumpshot is still off, though, so the Orlando Magic can only hope he can overcome that problem by getting easy baskets.