<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">ORLANDO -- It won't be every game where Travis Diener spends the bulk of the fourth quarter matched up against a point guard the caliber of two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. But after spending almost every game before Monday night watching from the Orlando Magic bench in uniform or a sport jacket, the second-year pro wants to build a case for getting more playing time based on merit rather than injuries to his teammates. Diener played almost the entire final 12 minutes of the Magic's 103-89 loss Monday night to the Phoenix Suns, with that quarter alone surpassing the number of minutes he had logged through the previous 22 games. Coach Brian Hill went to a lineup featuring four non-starters -- Diener, Carlos Arroyo, Trevor Ariza and Bo Outlaw -- in an effort to jump-start a team that trailed by 18 points after three quarters. That same combination isn't likely to appear together tonight against the Toronto Raptors, especially if Dwight Howard can steer clear of foul trouble. But Diener, who had five of the 52 points the Magic got from their bench against the Suns, could be called upon again at some point with both Hedo Turkoglu and Keith Bogans expected to remain out because of sprained right ankles. "Whether that's for (Monday night) or 20 more games down the road, I'm out here playing and trying to help our team win," he said after the Magic's fourth defeat in their last six games. "I thought he got tired at the end, but that's to be expected," Hill said. "He was expending a lot of energy while he was out there. By and large, he did a pretty good job for us." While Hill would prefer to use Arroyo and Keyon Dooling together off the bench, Bogans' injury Saturday night has caused Dooling to become a starter. And with Jameer Nelson making little or no impact against Nash, Diener caught a break after having gotten in just one game since Nov. 5.</div> Source
