The Orlando Magic advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs on Monday night after eliminating the Toronto Raptors with 102-92 victory in Game Five of their series.

Dwight Howard burst out with 21 points and 21 rebounds and Rashard Lewis tallied 18 points and 13 boards for the Magic, who outrebounded Toronto by nineteen and went 23-for-28 from the foul line.

Chris Bosh led with 16 points and 9 rebounds in the final game of the season for the Raptors, who shot just 41% from the floor and couldn't keep Howard out of the paint and off the glass.

The Magic have advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in twelve years.

They will face the winner of the Detroit/Philadelphia series that is currently knotted at two games apiece.

Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu will be named the league's 2007-08 Most Improved Player on Monday, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel.

The Magic have scheduled a news conference but wouldn't say what it was about.

Turkoglu had career highs in points (19.5), rebounds (5.7) and assists (5.0). Last season he averaged 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

- ORL 106, TOR 94
The Orlando Magic used a strong fourth quarter to record a 106-94 win over the Toronto Raptors and a take a 3-1 series lead on Saturday afternoon.

Rashard Lewis had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Dwight Howard tallied 19 points and 15 boards for the Magic, who hit 49% of their shots and outrebounded Toronto by seven.

Chris Bosh led with 39 points and 14 rebounds and T.J. Ford added 12 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who struggled from the field and couldn't capitalize on Orlando's eighteen turnovers.

The Magic will look to close out the series against the Raptors on Monday night in Orlando.

Game FIC Scores
Rashard Lewis, ORL - 28.9
Dwight Howard, ORL - 28.5
Chris Bosh, TOR - 27.8
T.J. Ford, TOR - 14.9

Magic forward Brian Cook has been ruled out for the remainder of the team's playoff series against the Raptors, according to  Florida Today.

He has a broken bone on the top of his right hand and has not appeared in any of the team's first three postseason games.

"I'm just trying to keep my mind fresh and my eyes used to focusing on the rim. Once I get the cast off, it'll take me a few days to get the feeling back in my hand, but I want to be ready to go as soon as possible," Cook said.

Cook's status, should the Magic advance into the second round, is unknown at this time.

- TOR 108, ORL 94
The Toronto Raptors avoided falling into an 0-3 hole with a dominating 108-94 win at home against the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.

Jose Calderon had 18 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds and Jamario Moon added 11 points and 10 boards for the Raptors, who shot 49% from the floor and outrebounded Orlando by eight.

Dwight Howard posted 19 points and 12 rebounds and Hedo Turkoglu tallied 26 points and 7 boards in the loss for the Magic, who attempted thirteen more free throws than Toronto but went 6-for-27 from behind the three-point line.

Game Four will be Saturday afternoon in Toronto as the Raptors look to even the series.

Game FIC Scores
Jose Calderon, TOR - 23.0
Hedo Turkoglu, ORL - 19.9
T.J. Ford, TOR - 17.8
Rashard Lewis, ORL - 14.3

- ORL 104, TOR 103
Dwight Howard enjoyed a 20-20 performance for the second-straight game as the Orlando Magic edged the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.

Howard posted 29 points and 20 rebounds and Hedo Turkoglu added 12 points and 9 boards for the Magic, who outrebounded Toronto by eight and took a 2-0 series lead with the victory.

Chris Bosh starred with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Jason Kapono added 20 points off the bench for the Raptors, who shot 45% from the floor but couldn't keep Orlando off the offensive glass.

Bosh missed a jump shot at the buzzer that would have won the game for the Raptors.

Game Three will be on Thursday night in Toronto.

Game FIC Scores
Dwight Howard, ORL - 30.1
Chris Bosh, TOR - 22.4
Jameer Nelson, ORL - 14.5
Jose Calderon, TOR - 13.4

Chris Bosh thinks that the Raptors overanalyzed their Game One matchup against the Magic on Sunday, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

"We were trying to implement too many new things, like we were anticipating them shutting down our plays before we even ran them," Bosh said. "We tried to add too many tweaks to our offense instead of just going with what worked this season."

Toronto started Andrea Bargnani at small forward for the first time all season in Game One.

- ORL 114, TOR 100
The Orlando Magic dominated the Toronto Raptors in Game One of their best-of-seven series on Sunday afternoon.

Dwight Howard had 24 points and 22 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson posted 24 points and 7 assists for the Magic, who shot 53% from the floor and outrebounded Toronto by nine.

Anthony Parker tallied 23 points and 8 rebounds, and Chris Bosh contributed 21 points and 6 boards in the loss for the Raptors, who hit just 38% of their shots and trailed by twenty points after the first quarter.

Game Two will be Tuesday night in Orlando.

Game FIC Scores
Dwight Howard, ORL - 33.1
Anthony Parker, TOR - 20.3
Jameer Nelson, ORL - 16.3
Chris Bosh, TOR - 12.6

The Orlando Magic?s Hedo Turkoglu and the Los Angeles Lakers? Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors, respectively, for games played in April.

Turkoglu led the Magic to a 5-3 month, averaging 19.8 points on .504 shooting and 6.4 assists. Turkoglu led the Magic in scoring in five of the team?s eight games while helping Orlando secure a No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Bryant, who was fourth in the league in scoring this month, averaged 26.1 points to go along with 5.5 assists, helping the Lakers go 7-1 and earn the top spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. Bryant scored 20 or more points in seven of the team?s eight games, including two 30-plus point games. In a win over Portland on April 2, Bryant led the Lakers with 36 points and 13 rebounds. It was the second Player of the Month nod for Bryant this season.

The Magic appear to be more open to trading guard J.J. Redick now, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

GM Otis Smith refused to trade the former Duke star before the season and at this year's trade deadline.

However, Smith is now open to dealing Redick around this June's draft - but he hasn't ruled out keeping all the team's free agents and players.