ASSOCIATED PRESS

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Ryan Anderson had 20 and 10 rebounds, Dwight Howard scored 25 and the short-handed Orlando Magic defeated the previously unbeaten Phoenix Suns 122-100 on Wednesday night.

Playing without injured Vince Carter and suspended Rashard Lewis, the Magic built a 23-point lead in the third quarter to pull away from the 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 did come close after the Magic built a big lead late.

Jameer Nelson added 16 points, and Mickael Pietrus had 15 points for the Magic. And they did it despite Carter missing the game with a sprained left ankle that coach Stan Van Gundy said doesn't appear serious, while Lewis is suspended for the first 10 games after testing positive for an elevated level of testosterone.

Raptors 110, Pistons 99

TORONTO (AP) -- Andrea Bargnani had 22 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, Chris Bosh scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 110-99 on Wednesday night.

Hedo Turkoglu added 16 points and Antoine Wright had 12 for the Raptors, who had lost seven of their previous eight games against the Pistons.

Ben Gordon had a season-high 30 points, former Raptors player Charlie Villanueva and Will Bynum each scored 16 for the Pistons, who have lost three of four. Rodney Stuckey added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Heat 93, Wizards 89

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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 Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

It was the first time Wade reached 40 points since getting a career-high 55 in April against New York. Quentin Richardson had 19 points and nine rebounds for Miami (4-1).

Wade took the spotlight away from Washington's Gilbert Arenas, who scored 32 but was 9 of 27 from the field.

Nuggets 122, Nets 94

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- 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 on Wednesday night.

The win was the fifth straight for Denver, one shy of the 85-86 start, and it handed the Nets their fifth straight loss, tying the worst start in franchise history, set in 1996-97.

Chris Douglas-Roberts had 19 points to lead the Nets, who were without All-Star guard Devin Harris and four other injured players.

NOTES Lieberman to become first female head coach in D-League

DALLAS (AP) -- Nancy Lieberman is set to become the first female head coach of a NBA Development League team.

A news conference is scheduled Thursday to introduce Lieberman as the first coach of the team that will begin play during the 2010-11 season in Frisco, a suburb about a half-hour north of downtown Dallas.

A press release sent out Wednesday by the Dallas Mavericks, which will be an affiliate of the Frisco team, touted the pending announcement of "historic additions" to the new D-League franchise. Among the participants listed for the news conference is "Head Coach Nancy Lieberman."