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Magic expect Howard back in road tilt with 76ers

Apr 11, 2011 - 3:06 PM (Sports Network) - Magic superstar Dwight Howard is expected back in the lineup tonight as Orlando visits Philadelphia in a battle between two Eastern Conference playoff teams.

Howard will be back after serving a one-game suspension for picking up his 18th technical foul last Wednesday against Charlotte. Orlando fell without its big man to East leader Chicago, 102-99, on Sunday when MVP candidate Derrick Rose made 13-of-17 shots en route to 39 points for the Bulls.

The Magic hung tough without Howard, however, and seemed to tie the game at the buzzer, but Jameer Nelson's three-pointer failed to leave his hand before the horn sounded.

Ryan Anderson finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who were also without forward Quentin Richardson. Richardson was slapped with a two- game suspension for shoving Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson in the face during a heated exchange in the fourth quarter last Wednesday and will remain sidelined tonight.

Jason Richardson tallied 24 points against the Bulls for Orlando, which is entrenched at the No. 4 spot in the East.

"We can't look forward. We can't pass anybody off in the playoffs," Nelson said. "We still have two games to finish in the regular season. We'll take care of those games and go into the playoffs feeling good about ourselves."

The Magic are just 1-3 without Howard in the lineup this season.

The Sixers are limping toward the finish line thanks in large part to injuries. Elton Brand has been playing with a broken bone in his hand while Andre Iguodala has been toiling with a balky knee. Meanwhile, Lou Williams, one of the top bench scorers in the NBA, has been ruled out for the rest of regular season with a strained right hamstring.

Philadelphia did manage to halt a three-game skid on Friday at home when Brand scored 22 points and Thaddeus Young added 20 off the bench, as the Sixers held off the Toronto Raptors, 98-93.

Jrue Holiday ended with 13 points, 11 assists and four steals for Philadelphia, which is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind New York. The Sixers also received 16 points from Iguodala, 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter.

"We've been fighting, scratching and clawing all season long," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "I just so desperately wanted us to finish in a positive way. I'm very proud we found a way to get this win."

A win tonight would give Philadelphia its first winning season since going 43-39 in 2004-05. But, Orlando has won in its last five regular season trips to the City of Brotherly Love.

The Magic are 17-4 in the last 21 overall meetings with the 76ers.