Western trip will provide good idea of where Magic stands

The Magic got the swing off to a terrific start on Wednesday, taking advantage of a monster individual performance from manchild Dwight Howard to cruise to a 91-76 win over Golden State.

Howard amassed the first 30-point game of his brief career and pulled down a season-high 25 rebounds — more than the Warriors’ entire starting five combined — to almost single-handedly will Orlando to victory. The 21-year-old leads the NBA with an average of 12.8 rebounds per game and is a virtual lock to receive the first of what should be many All-Star team selections in the coming weeks.

The Magic did receive some bad news during the game, however, as forward Trevor Ariza suffered a grade 2 sprain of the MCL of his right knee late in the first half, an injury that will sidelined the athletic swingman from 6- to-8 weeks.

Orlando could have used Ariza, one of the team’s best defenders, when it faced Kobe Bryant and the Lakers Friday in game two of the trip. Bryant scored 16 of his 28 points over the game’s final seven minutes as Los Angeles ended the Magic’s five-game win streak with a hard-fought 109-106 decision.

The fact that Orlando went toe-to-toe with a team it hasn’t beaten as the visitor in 10 years is encouraging, but the narrow loss also shows the young Magic are still in the learning stages when it comes to winning on the road. The team is 8-9 away from home so far in 2007-07, a respectable record but not one that championships are built on.

Orlando faces another formidable challenge on Saturday when it visits the Phoenix Suns, owners of the NBA’s second-best overall record at the moment. The Magic will wrap up the trip Tuesday in Oklahoma City.