The Detroit Pistons took over in the second half to beat the Orlando Magic 91-72 on Saturday in the opening game of their second-round NBA playoff series. Hedo Turkoglu's uncontested dunk early in the second half gave Orlando its first lead, and the Magic led as late as 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, but the Pistons then assumed control. Chauncey Billups had 19 points, seven assists and played a key role in the decisive run of the game – a 21-3 burst that put Detroit out of sight with a 64-49 lead. Dwight Howard had a relatively quiet night with 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks after being the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1972 to score 20 points and grab 20 rebounds in three playoff games. Orlando rallied to trail by just seven points entering the fourth despite making only 1-of-10 3-pointers and 7-of-16 free throws. Jason Maxiell squashed any comeback hopes the Magic had. Detroit's power forward scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter with surprising touch on jumpers and free throws. The Pistons will host Game 2 on Monday. Hornets 101, Spurs 82: In New Orleans, David West scored his career playoff-high of 30 points to lead New Orleans over San Antonio in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Chris Paul added 17 points, 13 assists and four steals for New Orleans, which trailed by as much as 11 in the first half but stormed into the lead for good in the third quarter. San Antonio's Tim Duncan had a rare bad night, going 1-of-9 from the field for a career playoff-low five points and only three rebounds. “We just came back with a lot more energy,” West told reporters. “They were beating us to loose balls,” he added. “There's no excuse for that. We've got the fresher legs, the younger legs and we want to be the aggressor the entire series.” The Hornets swarmed Duncan with double teams throughout the game, forcing San Antonio to look for points from outside. “We just don't want to give him in easy looks,” West said. “We know he is one of the best players in the league when he catches the ball two or three feet from the basket. We are going to have guys running at him the entire series.” Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points and Manu Ginobili had 19, but San Antonio needed more help inside from Duncan and Kurt Thomas, who had only two points and two rebounds. The game was delayed between the first and second quarters when a stunt involving a mascot going through a ring of fire went wrong. Workers had to use fire extinguishers to put out the flames and it took 20 minutes to clean up the court.
