ORLANDO, Fla. – Dwight Howard had 23 points and seven rebounds, and the Orlando Magic rolled over the Knicks 111-87 last night in Steve Fran cis’s return to Orlando.

Much worse than the loss, however, was the news earlier in the day that Knicks rookie standout Channing Frye will miss the rest of the season after spraining a left knee ligament on Tuesday.

An MRI exam in New York yesterday confirmed the injury. Frye will be on crutches for the next three weeks, but surgery will not be needed.The Knicks expect Frye to be able to return in time for summer league play in July.

Frye was injured early in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 114-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Toronto’s Andre Barrett was racing upcourt with the ball with a little more than 9 minutes left when Knicks guard Nate Robinson, chasing him from behind, appeared to try to swipe the ball away. Barrett lost his balance and fell into Frye’s left leg.

The eighth overall pick in last year’s draft, Frye has been one of the top rookies in the NBA this season. He is third among first-year players with 12.3 points per game, and also ranks in the top five in field goal percentage (47.7%) and rebounds (5.8).

With Frye and forward Malik Rose (sprained right ankle) out, Maurice Taylor logged 20 minutes in his second game since March 1. Rose had three rebounds, two assists, and no points. Rookie forward David Lee started in Frye’s place,scoring 10 points and grabbing two rebounds.

Howard missed the first start of his career for Orlando after showing up late for shootaround, but the secondyear standout scored 10 points in a 4-minute span of the first half – many of them on putback dunks for threepoint plays.

In his first game at Orlando since being traded last month, Francis had just two points in 11 minutes, all in the first quarter. Eddy Curry led the Knicks with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Stephon Marbury added 12 points and five assists. Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson each added 12 points off the bench.

Seven Orlando players scored in double figures, including Hedo Turkoglu (16 points), Darko Milicic (13), Jameer Nelson (13), and Keyon Dooling (11). Forward Trevor Ariza, acquired by the Magic in the Francis trade along with the expiring contract of Penny Hardaway, finished with 10 against his former team.

Leading 59-47 at halftime, Orlando opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run, taking a 22-point lead at the 8:40 mark after Howard completed another three-point play off an offensive rebound.

New York’s deficit hovered around 20 the rest of the game, ballooning to 107-81 with 3:53 left in the fourth quarter after Dooling hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired.

New York had 22 turnovers – 17 in the first half – compared with 10 for Orlando.

The Magic’s win was their fifth straight at home,but came a night after they set a franchise record in Charlotte with their 16th straight road loss. The Knicks fell to 6-27 on the road.

Orlando snapped a two-game losing streak and handed the Knicks their third straight loss.