For now, it's no joke: Anderson is filling in just fine.

Anderson had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Dwight Howard scored 25 and the short-handed Orlando Magic defeated the previously unbeaten Phoenix Suns, 122-100 last.

"How can I control it? I can't do much more than what I'm doing now," Anderson said about the starting spot. "I have a great opportunity to play now. Of course, it's Rashard Lewis. It's a given he's going to play. He's an All-Star. He's going to help this team when he comes back. It will be great to even be his backup."

Playing without injured Vince Carter and Lewis, the Magic built a 23-point lead in the third quarter to pull away from the visiting Suns.

Amare Stoudemire finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds for Phoenix (4-1), which was looking to match the 1984-85 team for the franchise's best start. The Suns had come back from deficits in the first half but never came close after the Magic built a big lead.

"Well, dreams of an undefeated season have gone down," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said.

Jameer Nelson added 16 points, and Mickael Pietrus had 15 points for the Magic.

In other games:

* At Washington, Dwyane Wade scored 40 points, including a go-ahead jumper with 25 seconds left, to lead the Miami Heat in a 93-89 victory over the Wizards. It was the first time Wade reached 40 points since scoring a career-high 55 in April against New York.

* At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 12 points and 11 rebounds in his third game back in Minnesota since he was traded in 2007, helping the Boston Celtics remain undefeated with a 92-90 victory over the Timberwolves. Rajon Rondo scored 14 of his 18 points in the third quarter for the Celtics (6-0).

* At East Rutherford, N.J., Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony woke up the unbeaten Nuggets in a 44-point third quarter and Denver continued its best start since 1985-86 with a 122-94 victory over the winless New Jersey Nets. The win was the fifth straight for Denver, one shy of the 1985-86 start, and it handed the Nets their fifth straight loss, tying the worst start in franchise history, set in 1996-97.

* At Houston, Kobe Bryant's 41 points led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-102 overtime victory over the Rockets. Bryant had seven of the Lakers' 11 points in overtime.

* At New York, T.J. Ford scored eight of his 16 points in the final 3:12, and the Indiana Pacers won for the first time this season, holding the Knicks without a field goal for the final 9-plus minutes in a 101-89 victory.

* At Toronto, Andrea Bargnani had 22 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, Chris Bosh scored 25 points as the Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons, 110-99. Toronto became the first team this season to score more than 100 points against Detroit.

Noteworthy