The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers closed out their respective series on Monday with wins. The Magic defeated the Toronto Raptors, 102-92, to win the series in five games. Dwight Howard had his usual great game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. This is his third game of the series where he had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game. The Magic, after a fantastic Game 1 where they were very efficient from the 3 point line, were not close again. They were 9 of 32, but they knocked them down late in the game. Howard's defense on Raptors' forward Chris Bosh was also key. Bosh only had 16 points and 9 rebounds. He missed 12 of his 19 shots attempted. The Magic will play the winner of the series between the Detroit Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers also closed out their series with a win over the Denver Nuggets, 107-101, to complete a four game sweep. The Lakers have now won their first series since winning the Western Conference Finals in 2004, when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kobe Bryant had 31 points, and 14 of them came in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter. Pau Gasol added 21, and the Lakers now continue to be dominant since acquiring Gasol. The Nuggets, meanwhile, have now lost in the first round of the playoffs in five straight seasons. While they won one game in each of the last four first round exits, they didn't win a game this year. Carmelo Anthony had 21 points and Allen Iverson had 22. J.R. Smith led the Nuggets in scoring off the bench with 26 points. The Lakers will now play the winner of the series between the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets. How far will the Magic go? How far will the Lakers go? Are the Lakers serious contenders?
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