Orlando, FL (Best E Casino) - Dwight Howard continued his ascension into the upper echelon of NBA stars with his eighth double-double in nine career playoff contests, scoring 21 points with 21 rebounds, as Orlando advanced to the second round for the first time since 1996 with a 102-92 victory over Toronto in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. Howard's Magic looked far different than Orlando's playoff clubs of the past. The Magic had dropped four straight with a chance to eliminate an opponent and still carried ill feelings of a playoff collapse to Detroit in a similar situation in 2003. The Pistons fell behind 3-1 before reeling off three straight wins in that series. Such was not the case Monday night, as sixth-seeded Toronto became just another casualty of the odds. A team trailing a series 3-1 with the next game on the opponent's home floor has won just two out of 120 possible series. The record got worse due in large part to a balanced Magic attack, paced by 18 points and 13 rebounds from Rashard Lewis, 19 points from point guard Jameer Nelson, 12 from Maurice Evans and 12 points, eight rebounds and nine assists from newly-crowned NBA Most Improved Player Hedo Turkoglu. Howard posted his third 20-20 of the five-game series. The third-seeded Magic will wait to see who prevails in the hotly- contested series between Detroit and Philadelphia. Chris Bosh scored a team- best 16 points with nine rebounds and T.J. Ford and Carlos Delfino added 14 points apiece. Jason Kapono donated 13 points and Jose Calderon contributed 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in defeat.

Final Score: Atlanta 97, Boston 92

Atlanta, GA (Best E Casino) - Joe Johnson scored a career playoff-high 35 points, 20 of which came in the fourth quarter, to lead the Atlanta Hawks in a dramatic 97-92 victory over the Celtics, tying their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series after four games. The Hawks outscored Boston, 32-17, in the fourth quarter to upend the East's top seed for a second straight contest with Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday at TD Banknorth Garden. Josh Smith added 28 points -- 12 in the fourth -- to go with a franchise playoff-record seven blocks in helping the Hawks overcome two double-digit deficits in the game. Mike Bibby finished with 18 points, and Al Horford swallowed up a game-high 13 rebounds for the victors, who drained a terrific 29-of-33 at the foul line. Ray Allen hit five three-pointer en route to a team-high 21 points for the Celtics, who hit just 10-of-18 from the stripe. Kevin Garnett had 20 points, nine boards and six steals, and Paul Pierce tallied 18 points on a sub par 5-of-14 effort from the floor. Rajon Rondo chipped in 14 points and 12 assists, but was benched in crunch time in favor of veteran Sam Cassell.

Final Score: LA Lakers 107, Denver 101

Denver, CO (Best E Casino) - Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out six assists and took over down the stretch, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-101 victory and a four-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference quarterfinal series. Bryant, the odds-on favorite for the league's MVP award, shot 12-of-24 from the floor and scored 14 in the final quarter, as LA moved on to the second round with its first playoff series victory since 2004. The Lakers will face either Houston or Utah in the second round. Utah currently owns a 3-1 lead in that series, with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday in Houston. Pau Gasol added 21 points and seven rebounds, while Lamar Odom totaled 14 and 12 for Los Angeles, which recovered from a third quarter in which it was outscored 23-15 to remain perfect in the postseason. J.R. Smith led Denver with a playoff-career- high 26 points off the bench, while Allen Iverson scored 22 for the Nuggets, who became the first team in NBA history to win 50 regular-season games but be swept in the first round. Denver has lost in the first round of the playoffs five straight years while winning only four games in that span, and has not won a postseason series since 1994, when they upset the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the first round.