AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Tracy McGrady didn’t get enough help from his friends.

McGrady scored 46 points, but five Detroit Pistons scored in double figures as they beat the Orlando Magic 89-77 in Game 2 Wednesday to even their first-round playoff series.

Richard Hamilton had 30 points one game after scoring 28 in his playoff debut. Detroit’s Chauncey Billups had 15, Corliss Williamson added 13, Ben Wallace, who won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award earlier in the day, scored 10 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Cliff Robinson scored 10.

McGrady’s teammates combined for just 31 points.

The NBA’s leading scorer broke the Magic playoff scoring record he set Sunday with 43 points. His 46-point performance also tied The Palace scoring record in any game shared by Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry Stackhouse and Grant Hill.

Detroit, which never trailed, led by 22 early in the second quarter and maintained a double-digit lead for the final 9:29.

Wallace’s alley-oop dunk and Billups’ 3-pointer gave Detroit an 85-70 lead with 4:23 left, but McGrady answered with a long jumper and a 3-pointer in less than a minute.

But the Magic could not get closer.

Pistons rookie Tayshaun Prince, who didn’t even play in Game 1, helped down McGrady for a short time. Prince replaced Michael Curry with 4:45 left in the third quarter and McGrady missed his first four field goals against Prince as Detroit pulled away for good.

The game – and Billups – couldn’t have started any differently than the opener.

76ers 90, Hornets 85

PHILADELPHIA – Allen Iverson didn’t have to do all the scoring this time.

Iverson, coming off a brilliant 55-point performance in the playoff opener, had 29 and Kenny Thomas had 17 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 90-85 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.

The Sixers lead 2-0 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal. Game 3 is Saturday in New Orleans.

Derrick Coleman had 12 points and six assists and Keith Van Horn added 11 points for the Sixers. Thomas, Van Horn and Coleman, Philadelphia’s starting frontcourt, had 11 points combined in Game 1. They got 40 Wednesday.

David Wesley had 24 points and Robert Pack added 15 for New Orleans. Jamal Mashburn scored 14, but only one point after dislocating his right middle finger in the third quarter.

The Hornets were without Baron Davis, their second-leading scorer.

who was out with a left knee injury. Mashburn sat out the final 6:49.

Despite missing its two best players, New Orleans trailed only 79-73 after Robert Traylor hit a jumper with 7:40 left.

But Iverson answered with a 15-footer and a long jumper that made it 83-73 with 4:25 remaining. Coleman set up Iverson’ second jumper, diving to gather in a loose ball and drawing a standing ovation from a Philadelphia crowd that once vilified him during his first tour with the Sixers from 1995-98.

After a pair of free throws by Coleman made it 86-76, Iverson hit another long jumper with 2:29 left. The Hornets didn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way.

Iverson made 21 of 32 shots in an incredible display Sunday, hitting jumpers from all over the floor. He missed 16 of 27 shots in Game 2 as the Hornets used several different defenders on him.

Pack, who didn’t even play in the series opener, had the most success against Iverson in the second quarter and part of the third. But Pack got his fifth foul early in the third quarter and didn’t return until midway through the fourth.

Iverson missed six of his 12 free throws, including five straight in the second quarter.

Wesley, who had five points in the opener, scored the first seven for the Hornets and 10 of the first 14.

New Orleans, which trailed by 17 in the first half, got to 55-51 on a 3-pointer by Wesley in the third. But a 3-pointer by Van Horn and two driving layups by Eric Snow put Philadelphia ahead 65-56.

With time winding down in the third period, Iverson dribbled around Stacey Augmon, banged into Traylor, stepped back and hit a 3-pointer to give the Sixers a 76-66 lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Sixers outscored New Orleans 16-4 to start the second quarter, taking a 43-26 lead. They went on a 10-2 run with Iverson on the bench, getting two layups from Monty Williams during that stretch.

Three free throws by Mashburn and a layup by George Lynch cut it to 50-38 at halftime.

Notes: This is the first time the Sixers have led a series 2-0 since 1991, when they swept Milwaukee in a best-of-five series. … NBA commissioner David Stern attended the game. Former Sixers president Pat Croce also was in the crowd. … Lynch started in place of Davis. The Hornets were 20-12 in games Lynch started during the regular season. … The 76ers are 16-10 in home playoff games the last five years.

AP-ES-04-23-03 2149EDT