The Orlando Magic showed it could survive with Dwight Howard in chronic foul trouble in its opening series of the N.B.A. playoffs. With Howard on the floor in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday, the Magic was dominant.
Howard had 21 points and 12 rebounds in the second-most-lopsided playoff win in Magic history, a 114-71 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
Howard added five blocks and avoided the fouls and frustration that overwhelmed him in the first round against Charlotte.
Vince Carter finished with 20 points and Jameer Nelson 19 as Orlando showed no signs of rust from an eight-day layoff, leading by as much as 46 points. The Magic shot 52 percent and outrebounded Atlanta, 53-35.
The Hawks were held to 10 points in the second quarter and 11 points in the third. Josh Smith led the Hawks with 14 points.
EXTENSION FOR BROOKS Engineering the biggest turnaround in the N.B.A. this season earned Scott Brooks another year as the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder exercised its option on Brooks’s contract, allowing him to remain the coach through 2012. Brooks, the coach of the year, had been under contract through the end of next season. Terms were not disclosed.
IN PHOENIX, LOS SUNS The Phoenix Suns will wear “Los Suns” on their jerseys in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday. The team’s owner, Robert Sarver, said it was “to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona and our nation.”
ALL-STAR GAME IN ORLANDO Twenty years after hosting Magic Johnson’s return to basketball in the All-Star Game after he retired and acknowledged that he was H.I.V. positive, Orlando, Fla., was named as the site of the 2012 All-Star Game at its new arena.
