Dwight Howard hit just 2-of-4 shots and 5-of-11 free throws for nine points, but added 15 rebounds and three blocks in a tough win at Boston on Friday. Had Howard not been struggling coming in, we could chalk this up to Boston's tough defense. And we will.

Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78 on Friday night. Dwight Howard grabbed 15 boards and Mickael Pietrus added 14 points for Orlando, which won the rematch of last season's Eastern Conference semifinal for its fourth consecutive victory.

Dwight Howard and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy had a private meeting at Howard's request to iron out issues regarding Van Gundy's "negativity" towards the team. Van Gundy took from the meeting that his approach was "draining the enthusiasm" from the team. The Magic responded with an inspired performance against Oklahoma City. Van Gundy's been on the hot seat at times and needs to keep productivity from his players high if he wishes to remain coaching in Orlando.Source: Orlando Sentinel

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the Magic have waived Linton Johnson. Johnson was mad the original roster to fill in for the injured Adonal Foyle, but the team decided it wasn't necessary to keep him on.

Our View: The Magic don'[t have many practice dates scheduled between now and the time that Foyle is expected to return, so there was no reason to keep him on the roster. He wasn't going to dress for games anyway, so this move won't affect the landscape in Orlando.

Foyle said Tuesday that is knee is feeling good following arthroscopic surgery last week, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Spin: Foyle said he he was originally expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, but he is planning to push his rehab in hopes or returning sooner.Wed, Oct 28

Foyle (knee) will miss the beginning of the regular season, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Spin: Foyle recently underwent knee surgery and is out indefinitely. Linton Johnson will take Foyle's spot on the roster until Foyle is able to return to the court.Mon, Oct 26

Oklahoma City 94, Orlando 108: This was payback for last week’s 28-point loss in the dust bowl. Vince Carter led six guys in double figures with 18, and Rashard Lewis nearly pulled off a triple double (17 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists). If you’re going to be near a TV Friday, 9-3 Orlando visits 9-3

Rashard Lewis hit 7-of-16 shots and two 3-pointers on his way to 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Wednesday's easy win over the Thunder. Lewis is obviously back and should be in all starting lineups going forward. And his return is going to spell bad news for the rest of the Magic forwards this season.

Lewis nearly recorded a triple-double in his second game back from suspension, scoring 17 points, grabbing ten rebounds and dishing out nine assists on Wednesday.

Spin: Not sure that he has shaken all the rust off, but he could be in line for a big season when he does.Wed, Nov 18

News: Magic F Matt Barnes, who started seven games and played in all 11, didn't see action until the fourth quarter on Wednesday against the Thunder. He finished with 12 minutes played and scored two points on 1 of 2 shooting with three boards.

Analysis: Barnes was not needed with Rashard Lewis nearly completing at triple-double in his second game back with the team. Lewis sat out the entire fourth and that was likely the only reason that Barnes played almost at all. Barnes Fantasy value takes a huge hit now and he only needs to be on rosters in the deeper leagues

Matt Barnes shot 1-of-7 off Orlando's bench on Monday, finishing with four points, two rebounds and three turnovers. We're hoping this isn't indicative of Barnes' role on the full-strength Magic, but if this keeps up for a few more games his fantasy owners should probably cut him for a more promising free agent.

News: Orlando SF Matt Barnes continues to start and recorded his second double-double of the season on Friday night in a win over the Nets. Barnes scored 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting and added 13 rebounds, a season high. He also had five assists and a block.

Analysis: Barnes is scoring just around 10 points per game lately as a starter for the Magic and that comes with 7.1 rebounds, around three assists and the occasional block and three pointer. If he could consistently post double-doubles, he'd be worth a look in all leagues. The Magic play four times in Week 4 (Nov. 16-22) so his value is definitely increased

Jameer Nelson is supposed to miss anywhere from four to six weeks after having knee surgery, but his teammates are saying the he might only miss three weeks. If they're correct, it's possbible that Nelson could play as soon as Dec. 2 against the Knicks, Our feeling is that is a very optimistic outlook on Nelson's return, and that mid- to late-December sounds more likely.Source: Orlando Sentinel

Nelson underwent successful knee surgery on Wednesday morning, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Spin: Nelson is on track to return to the floor in four to six weeks, depending on how much time he'll need to recover from his surgery.Wed, Nov 18

Jameer Nelson had successful left knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Wednesday. He should return some time around Christmas if all goes well, but owners will have to determine if he's worth the wait or not.Source: Orlando Sentinel

Johnson will serve as Jason Williams' backup while starting point guard Jameer Nelson recovers from knee surgery.

Spin: Johnson will see more playing time than he has early this season, but he still has limited fantasy value at this point.Wed, Nov 18

News: Magic PG Jameer Nelson is having surgery again. The team says the All-Star point guard will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus. He is expected to miss four to six weeks. Nelson was injured in the fourth quarter of Monday night's win against Charlotte. This is the second straight season he has been sidelined. Nelson tore the labrum in his right shoulder in February and had surgery. In a surprise move, he returned for the NBA finals, struggling to regain his form as Orlando lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Nelson is averaging 13.7 points and 5.5 assists per game this season.

Analysis: Anthony Johnson will now be the No. 2 PG for the Magic behind Williams with Nelson out. Still, unless something happens to Williams, keep Johnson reserved in all leagues since he has minimal Fantasy value

Anthony Johnson will be available against the Thunder on Sunday after missing the team's game on Friday to attend his father-in-law's funeral, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Our View: Johnson could see more minutes than usual on Sunday, as Orlando has just nine available players, but is not a fantasy option in any format.

Mickael Pietrus suffered from a fever Wednesday night but is reported to be fully recovered in time for Friday night's game against Boston. Pietrus is a shaky fantasy play as it is. If all you need is threes he might be a decent play, but it's worth checking before the game to make sure he's up for it tonight.Source: Orlando Sentinel

Pietrus hit three three-pointers and finished with 10 points in Orlando's victory over Charlotte on Monday night.

Spin: The Magic had their full roster on Monday for the first time this season and Pietrus was the team's starter at small forward. Expect him to remain in that role for the time being.Tue, Nov 17

Mickael Pietrus had 10 points, six rebounds and two assists in a start for Orlando on Monday. Pietrus logged 32 minutes and all three of his FGs were 3-pointers. He's worth owning while playing 30-plus minutes, but there's no telling how long that will last.