J.J. Redick shines as starter in place of Vince Carter

J.J. Redick's consistently strong play has been one of the few constants so far this season for the Orlando Magic. Even as the team slogged through its recent four-game losing streak, Redick continued to play well.

On Saturday, Redick showed what he can do as a starter.

With Vince Carter sitting out the game with a sprained left shoulder, Redick moved up to the first unit and scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting as the Magic routed the Atlanta Hawks 113-81.

"I've said it all along: He's just a guy that I think we've come to trust," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said afterward. "He's not going to make mistakes. He's a tough guy. He's gonna compete hard."

Redick displayed his competitive streak Saturday on a relatively meaningless play long after the game's outcome had been decided. With just under 10 minutes remaining and Orlando ahead by 26 points, Redick missed a 3-pointer from the right wing. The ball started to go out of bounds, but Redick chased it down. The Magic retained possession, and Ryan Anderson drained a shot from beyond the arc.

"If I'm out there, I'm going to try to play hard," Redick said. "The score doesn't matter. I'm trying to prove myself as a player, regardless of the score on the scoreboard."

That kind of effort has made Redick a fan favorite at Amway Arena.

No Magic player runs up or down the court harder than Redick does, and perhaps only Matt Barnes, Dwight Howard and Jason Williams react to referees' questionable calls as demonstrably as Redick does.

Saturday night's game also tested his defensive abilities.

He defended Joe Johnson, Atlanta's top scorer, and helped limit Johnson to seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. Redick also guarded Jamal Crawford for long stretches, and Crawford scored 10 points.

Redick has acknowledged that he's not the NBA's quickest or most athletic player, but he kept up with Johnson and Crawford. In his fourth year as a pro, Redick has learned to anticipate plays and tactics.

"Now, he's not a half a count behind," Van Gundy said.

But Redick has made his name as a shooter, and after Saturday's game, he had made almost 43 percent of his 3-pointers this season.

He scored his final points of the game on a trey from the left corner with just over minute to go.

Not a bad way to cap a start.

More importantly to Redick, it was a perfect way to cap a win.