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Howard, Magic host Game One against Bosh, Raptors

Apr 20, 2008 - 1:18 PM Toronto at Orlando 12:30 pm EDT Eastern Conference first round

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) - The Orlando Magic open a playoff series at home for the first time since 1999 when they host the Toronto Raptors in Game One of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday.

Orlando (52-30) is looking to advance past the first round for the first time since 1996, which was the last time it had won 50 games.

The Magic will depend on the inside play of Dwight Howard, who emerged as one of the league's brightest stars, winning the All-Star weekend slam dunk competition while averaging 20.7 points and 14.2 rebounds per game.

Hedo Turkoglu had the best campaign of his career for Orlando and proved to be a perfect complement for Howard. In his eighth season, Turkoglu averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists - all career-highs.

"It's going to be some good games," Turkoglu said. "They have All-Star Chris Bosh, a good point guard and a lot of good shooters. They spread the floor like us. We're just going to play our game like we've been playing all year."

Toronto is in the postseason for the second straight campaign after losing - as the third seed - to New Jersey in six games last year.

Bosh led a balanced attack at 22.3 points per game, which included a 40-point outburst against Orlando on February 20.

Nine players score at least 7.2 points per contest for the Raptors, who were 16-25 on the road this season.