The Nuggets advanced into the second round of the playoffs with a blowout win over the Hornets on Wednesday night.

- Atlanta 106, Miami 91

Team FIC Differential: Hawks +27.4, Heat -27.4

The Hawks (3-2) used an emphatic 39-20 edge in the second quarter to win a pivotal Game 5 battle against the Heat (2-3) on Wednesday night. Joe Johnson starred with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Josh Smith posted 20 points and 8 boards, and Ronald Murray added 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting off the bench. Atlanta won the rebounding battle by eight, but turning the ball over just five times. The Hawks attempted an amazing 41 foul shots, nine more than the Heat did at Philips Arena. Dwyane Wade led with 29 points on 9-for-19 shooting, Udonis Haslem tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds, and rookie Michael Beasley contributed 18 points and 5 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Joe Johnson, Atlanta ? 16.9

Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 16.9

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 13.9

Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 10.3

- Denver 107, New Orleans 86

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +41.6, Hornets -41.6

The Nuggets (4-1) dominated the Hornets (1-4) in the second half at the Pepsi Center and punched their ticket to the second round. Carmelo Anthony led with 34 points (a playoff career-high) and 6 rebounds, Chauncey Billups tallied 15 points and 11 assists, and J.R. Smith scored 20 points off the bench in the victory. Denver hit 51% of their shots, while holding New Orleans to just 38% shooting. David West had 24 points and 9 rebounds, Chris Paul posted 12 points and 10 assists, and James Posey chipped in 18 points off the bench in the defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 21.1

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 16.5

David West, New Orleans ? 15.8

Chris Paul, New Orleans 11.9

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Carmelo Anthony has finally won a playoff series after Denver eliminated the New Orleans Hornets with a 107-86 win on Wednesday night, the Associated Press is reporting.

After five straight first-round flameouts, Anthony - who had 34 points - led the Nuggets to their first playoff series win since 1994. They'll face the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

"That monkey is awful heavy sometimes," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I'm just really happy for 'Melo."

Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2008-09 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, the NBA announced today. ?

A 12-year veteran, Billups was one of six divisional winners, which included Boston?s Ray Allen, Detroit?s Antonio McDyess, Golden State?s Ronny Turiaf, San Antonio?s Michael Finley and Washington?s Antawn Jamison.

Billups received 82 first-place votes (2,478 total points) of a possible 336.

After Chris Paul broke down Denver's defense in a Game 3 win, the Nuggets wanted the point guard to feel like a quarterback handling the blitz in Game 4.

Their defensive approach worked as the Nuggets defeated the Hornets 121-63, matching a playoff record for win margin.

Paul also suffered through one of the worst games of his young career, as he was held to four points and forced to commit six turnovers.

"We compared him to a football (player)," Denver coach George Karl said. "We want Chris Paul to feel like he's being blitzed. We want him to feel like there's a linebacker coming from the left side and there's a couple coming from up the middle. In Game 3, we thought he was quarterbacking the game, and we were letting him throw where he wanted to throw or do what he wanted to do."

Paul acknowledged the new defensive look from Denver.

"It's no secret," Paul said. "They try to keep the ball out of my hands as much as possible. We've been trying to make adjustments to it for just about every game. We'll look at the film and see what we can do differently."

Denver defeated the Hornets by a final score of 121-63 on Monday in Game 4, which tied the record for largest blowout in NBA playoff history.

The Minneapolis Lakers defeated the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in March of 1956.

Carmelo Anthony missed a hurried jumper on the final possession of Denver's 95-93 loss to New Orleans on Saturday, but he avoided blaming his bum elbow.

"I done made so many big shots. I had a chance to make another one. And it just didn't go down," Anthony said.

Anthony has been experiencing nagging pain in his shooting elbow ever since returning home from the Olympics last summer.

When asked by the Denver Post, Anthony wouldn't reveal just how badly the elbow is bothering him.

"No," Carmelo replied, "No, no, no."

Anthony is shooting just 42.9 percent from the field against the Hornets this postseason.

He had X-rays on the joint after the Game 3 loss, which revealed no additional damage, and the team is listing him as probable for Game 4.

Hornets forward James Posey sprained his right knee in the first quarter against the Nuggets on Saturday.

He limped off the floor, but eventually returned in New Orleans' 95-93 victory over Denver.

Posey finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds in eighteen minutes of action.

Despite a rouge hawk in Atlanta, the Heat rebounded from a blowout loss on Sunday night to even their first-round series against the Hawks at one game apiece.

- Orlando 96, Philadelphia 87

Team FIC Differential: Magic +17.5, 76ers -17.5

The Magic (1-1) used a strong second quarter to even their first round series against the 76ers (1-1) on Wednesday night. Courtney Lee scored 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting, Dwight Howard posted 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis added 16 points, 8 boards and 6 assists in the win at Amway Arena. Orlando won the rebounding battle by seven, and attempted twelve more foul shots than Philadelphia. Andre Miller led with 30 points and 7 rebounds, Thaddeus Young tallied 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting, and Andre Iguodala contributed 21 points, 8 boards and 7 assists in the loss. The 76ers made a run in the fourth, but the Magic had just enough to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole.

Game FIC Scores

Andre Miller, Philadelphia ? 19.0

Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia ? 17.3

Courtney Lee, Orlando ? 15.3

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 14.4

- Miami 108, Atlanta 93

Team FIC Differential: Heat +30.8, Hawks -30.8

The Heat (1-1) built a double-digit lead in the first half and held off a late run by the Hawks (1-1) in the fourth quarter to earn a split of the first two games at Philips Arena. Dwyane Wade starred with 33 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, Jermaine O?Neal tallied 19 points and 6 boards, and Daequan Cook scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Miami shot a blistering 55% from the field, while outrebounding Atlanta by seven on Wednesday night. The Hawks attempted twelve more foul shots than the Heat, who played a good chuck of the fourth period without Wade due to foul trouble. Mike Bibby had a team-high 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting, Josh Smith posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Al Horford turned in 11 points, 11 boards and 5 assists in the defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 22.0

Jermaine O?Neal, Miami ? 17.8

Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 16.1

Al Horford, Atlanta ? 15.5

- Denver 108, New Orleans 93

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +27.1, Hornets -27.1

The Nuggets (2-0) outscored the Hornets (0-2) in each of the game?s four quarter en route to another emphatic win at the Pepsi Center. Chauncey Billups scored 31 points on 8-for-15 shooting, Carmelo Anthony posted 22 points and 9 assists, and Kenyon Martin poured in 13 points, 6 dimes and 5 rebounds in the win. Denver hit 50% of their shots and turned the ball over just five times, while New Orleans won the rebounding battle by seven on Wednesday night. David West led with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Paul tallied 14 points and 13 assists, and James Posey put up 12 points and 8 boards off the bench in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 22.4

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 19.5

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 14.8

James Posey, New Orleans ? 10.8

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups was thrilled with his 36-point performance in the team's Game 1 win over the Hornets, but believes that winning is everything.

"It was definitely one of my best games in the playoffs," Billups said Monday. "More importantly just winning is everything. When you're going to have a special night like that, it's a great time for me to have that. But it was definitely one of my best performances."

Billups hit a career-high eight three-pointers in the victory, to go along with eight assists and no turnovers.

The win snapped Denver's eight-game postseason losing streak.

"For me to have a chance to be playing in the playoffs, on a really good team, at home, in front of all my family and all my fans, it was special," Billups, a Denver native, said. "It's a feeling you have when you're playing at home that a lot of people never get to experience. I'm grateful for that."

NBA commissioner David Stern had good things to say about Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups on Sunday.

"We've had a number of conversations over the years, in a positive way," Stern said of Anthony. "I find him to be an engaging young man. At some point I told him he's got to run out of cousins eventually. But I enjoy him, I enjoyed his Olympic experience, I enjoy what he's doing for the team now and the place he's taking."

Anthony has had a few public relations nightmares in his career, but appears to have matured this season.

"Chauncey Billups has always been a favorite of mine," Stern added. "It's fun to watch and read about him being home and maybe providing some part of an additional spark that allows this very talented roster to do what it has to do."