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The Orlando Magic built a big lead and avoided another meltdown — barely.

Brandon Roy scored 42 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 107-103 on Tuesday night to even their playoff series at one game apiece. Aaron Brooks led a late charge and finished with 23 points for Houston, which has not made it out of the first round since 1997. Von Wafer came off the bench to add 21.

Utah kept coming, relentlessly closing within six points time and again. The Lakers never let their lead get away. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 22 and Lamar Odom had 19 off the bench in a 119-109 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Detroit Pistons couldn't contain LeBron James again. And this time, they didn't stop his teammates until it was too late.

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is the NBA's defensive player of the year after becoming only the fifth player to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season.

Leon Powe suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee in Boston's Game 2 victory over Chicago on Monday and will not play again this poseason.

Erick Dampier, the Dallas Mavericks' 6-11, 265-pound center, had a specific message for San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker after Monday's NBA playoff game.

Tony Parker had 38 points and eight assists to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-84 on Monday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Cleveland's Mike Brown is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today.

With Josh Smith delivering one rim-shaking dunk after another and plenty of teammates chipping in, the Hawks made Miami look like a one-man team, running Dwyane Wade and the Heat ragged for a 90-64 blowout in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series Sunday night.