Washington Wizards' Randy Foye (right) and the Milwaukee Bucks' Brandon Jennings (left) compete for a loose ball in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 3, 2010, in Milwaukee. (AP)

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) – Dwight Howard had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic cruised to a 117-90 victory over the undermanned Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

Rashard Lewis added 17 points, and Vince Carter finished with 15 points to help the Magic win for the fifth time in six games and keep a tight grip on the Eastern Conference's No. 2 playoff seed. They lead Atlanta by two games.

C.J. Watson had 18 points, and Anthony Morrow had 16 points for an injured Warriors team that dressed the NBA minimum eight players. And that came after they signed Development League player Reggie Williams a day earlier, the fourth former player from the NBA's version of the minors on Golden State's active roster.

That's what happens with a lineup that reads more like a medical chart.

Golden State was without leading scorer Monta Ellis (strained lower back), center Andris Biedrins (sports hernia), Corey Maggette (strained left hamstring), and Vladimir Radmanovic (sore right Achilles') among others.

It was the 35th starting lineup of the season for the Warriors, the same one they used in a last-second loss at Miami on Tuesday night, prompting coach Don Nelson to joke before Wednesday's game that he's the "D-League Coach of the Year."

Carter helped the Magic pull away with nine points in a 26-8 run in the second quarter — including a pair of left-handed jumpers for three-point plays over Stephen Curry — to give Orlando a 64-45 halftime lead.

The Magic scored the first 10 points of the second half behind 3-pointers by Lewis and Jameer Nelson, and eventually settled into a 30-point lead.

Then things really turned into a highlight session.

Howard led one fastbreak and dished to Matt Barnes for a layup, with Orlando's center sticking his tongue out laughing. Howard also blocked one shot so far it started a break for J.J. Redick. And Howard added a hard dunk — even for him — that sent the ball bouncing off the floor and into the stands.

Not even the up-and-down Warriors had the energy to come back in this one.

Curry, one of the leading Rookie of the Year candidates, struggled to find his groove. He had just nine points and seven assists — most with the game well decided — as the Warriors moved 26 games under .500, good for the second-worst record in the Western Conference.

Golden State was even forced to go the last 7:06 with just seven players after Chris Hunter fouled out.

--------> Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) shots over Golden State Warriors forward Chris Hunter (31) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, March 3, 2010. (AP)

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Salmons, Bucks blast Wizards

MILWAUKEE (AP) – John Salmons scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and the Milwaukee Bucks continued their post-All-Star break surge with a 100-87 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Salmons is averaging 20.4 points and has scored in double figures in all eight games he's played in since a trade deadline deal with Chicago.

The Bucks are 7-1 in that span after having a six-game winning streak snapped on Sunday in Atlanta, but jumped all over the undermanned Wizards back home at the Bradley Center.

Andrew Bogut added 15 points and five blocks as Milwaukee (31-29) won its 13th in the last 17 to move into a tie for sixth place with the Eastern Conference with Chicago.

The Bucks hold the tiebreaker over the Bulls.

Andray Blatche and Randy Foye scored 18 points each for the Wizards, but Milwaukee got contributions from all over. Carlos Delfino had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Ersan Ilyasova had 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and veteran Jerry Stackhouse added 13 points.

The last time these two teams met here, Washington won 109-97 on Dec. 23. Caron Butler scored 25, Antawn Jamison 23 and Gilbert Arenas 18 for the Wizards that night.

These Wizards are much different with Jamison and Butler traded last month and Arenas suspended for the rest of the season by the NBA for bringing guns to the locker room.

Milwaukee began pulling away late in the first half, taking its first 10-point lead off two 3-pointers by Delfino and a third by Ilyasova with just over 3 minutes to play. Milwaukee took a 56-48 lead at halftime and were never seriously threatened in the second half after the Wizards scored just 12 points in the third quarter.