76ers stun the Magic, 100-98, on Andre Iguodala’s jumper

Andre Iguodala waited for the clock to tick down, took a few dribbles to his right and let go a high-arching jumper. Swish! The Magic was stunned, the fans in Orlando silenced.

For the Philadelphia 76ers, it was the sweet sound of stealing home-court advantage.

Iguodala made a 22-foot jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining, and the 76ers rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat Orlando, 100-98, in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series Sunday.

He then stood at halfcourt waving his hands as teammates joined him to celebrate.

“We won one more game than people thought we would win,” Iguodala said. “I was pretty amped up.”

Iguodala had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Louis Williams scored 18 to help the 76ers, seeded No. 6 in the East, beat the No. 3 Magic for the first time in four tries this season -- and when it mattered most. Hedo Turkoglu’s fadeaway three-point try missed at the buzzer, and Magic fans stood in disbelief and filed out quietly.

Iguodala had missed two free throws with about a minute left before more than redeeming himself with the game-winning shot.

“He really made up for it, didn’t he?” 76ers Coach Tony DiLeo said, smiling. “He’s like our secret weapon.”

Dwight Howard had a career playoff-high 31 points and 16 rebounds for the Magic. It was the biggest lead Orlando has blown all season.

Atlanta 90, Miami 64 -- With Josh Smith delivering one rim-shaking dunk after another and plenty of teammates chipping in, the host Hawks, seeded No. 4 in the East, made the Heat look like a one-man team, running Dwyane Wade ragged in a Game 1 blowout.

Wade had 19 points, 11 below his NBA-leading average, and only one other Heat player was in double figures as the Hawks tied a franchise record for fewest points given up in a playoff game. Wade spent much of the night on his backside or complaining to the referees.

Denver 113, New Orleans 84 -- Chauncey Billups scored 36 points and made a career-best eight three-pointers, leading the Nuggets past the Hornets in the second-biggest blowout in Denver’s playoff history.

Capitalizing on their first home-court edge in a playoff series in 21 years, the Nuggets, seeded No. 2 in the West, led by 34 at one point and nearly bested their previous biggest margin of victory, a 141-111 walloping of San Antonio in 1985.