Magic center Dwight Howard made several big plays Sunday night at the NBA All-Star Game as he teamed up with coach Stan Van Gundy to help lead the East to a narrow 141-139 win over the West at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Guess who’s getting the ship turned around in the right direction heading into NBA All-Star weekend? The Orlando Magic appear to have regrouped after a tough slide last month, when many wondered what was wrong with the home team.

Since being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week last month, Magic center Dwight Howard has had his game scrutinized by fans and media members alike. He’s also been named a starter in the NBA All-Star Game.

Thanks to the Orlando Magic, even the most hardened competitors on the basketball court might have grown a bit misty-eyed watching the joyous smiles of kids getting presents and bicycles on what might have otherwise been a lean holiday season.

The grueling 82-game NBA regular season continues to get interesting for the Orlando Magic, even when a hapless team like the Indiana Pacers come to town.The Magic came out in the first quarter against the Pacers looking lethargic and uninspired before winning 106-98.

The Heat had many reasons to be thankful on the eve of Thanksgiving, particularly once a Dwyane Wade air ball was dunked by Michael Beasley with 1.6 seconds left in the game. That concluded a Heat comeback from an 11-point deficit as the Magic were edged 99-98.

Hitting the books has taken a back seat in the world of sports as athletes dream big about big paychecks. For some, on-the-job training is all they need to elevate their talents to that moneymaking plateau. Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis were two of four starters in the NBA Finals who bypassed college.

The NBA schedule forced the Magic to play on back-to-back nights in different cities but Stan Van Gundy has never been one to make excuses. And he steered clear of doing so following Wednesday’s ugly 102-93 loss at home against Cavaliers.

Tonight Orlando hosts nemesis Detroit at Amway Arena just two days after putting the smackdown on the visiting Suns. It may have been a slow start for the Magic in the opening period, but they finished big with a 122-100 win.

This week AJ Turman and Skyler Skersick from Boone High School join UCF soccer coach Amanda Cromwell and UCF football player Bruce Miller on the Top-5 list alongside Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard and the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Rollins College.