The Orlando Magic (34–17) turned the tables on the Boston Celtics (32–17) in the second half of Sunday’s game in Boston for a 96–89 win and the number two spot in the Eastern Conference.
The series-ending game put Orlando up 3–1 and was a disappointing loss for Boston, who were coming off a three-game winning streak.
Vince Carter led the Magic with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in what was a well-rounded scoring effort from the starting lineup, all of whom hit double digits.
Dwight Howard gave the Magic 16 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds despite being plagued with foul trouble from the early minutes of the first quarter.
Howard scored just two points in the first half after picking up his third personal foul coming off the bench midway through the second quarter.
Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins also went dry in the first half, matching Howard’s two points. Perkins would have only two points for the night though.
After a neck-and-neck first quarter, the Celtics closed the half up 11, 51–40 with excellent ball movement and forcing 10 Orlando turnovers.
Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen led the way with 11 points each for the half, and Rondo also led with four assists and had nine for the night. The two finished the night with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
Celtics leader Kevin Garnett was a miserable 0–5 in field goals in the first half but pulled down five rebounds. Garnett finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
When asked what the Celtics needed to do in the second half to come away with the win, Rondo told ESPN, “Ball movement. Don’t get caught up in one-on-one, be sure to take care of the ball, and get back on defense.”
That was exactly what the Celtics didn’t do, coming out in the third quarter with a stagnant offense that produced just 11 points and gave up 7 turnovers.
Orlando went on a 19–0 run to first tie it up at 60 and then break away for a 10 point lead in the final minutes of the third, with prolific scoring from Carter and Howard. Orlando widened the lead to 14 to end the disastrous third quarter for the Celtics 76–62.
“We just started coming up with a new game plan during the middle of the third quarter; changing our defense, changing our offensive. The ball stopped moving, so we deserve it,” a frustrated Doc Rivers said at the end of the third quarter.
Howard picked up his fifth foul at the 5:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter but again stayed in, hitting key free throws to dissipate the Celtics’ energy.
Rondo hit a long 3-pointer to bring the Celtics back within 10 at the 2:00 minute mark, and the Celtics fought tooth-and-nail down the stretch, at one point pulling within five points. But the effort was too little too late for Boston.
“We need to play hard for 48 minutes and not give up bit leads like we did [in the first half] tonight,” Howard said after the game.
“Five more minutes and [Boston] probably would have got the win.”
The series-ending game put Orlando up 3–1 and was a disappointing loss for Boston, who were coming off a three-game winning streak.
Vince Carter led the Magic with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in what was a well-rounded scoring effort from the starting lineup, all of whom hit double digits.
Dwight Howard gave the Magic 16 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds despite being plagued with foul trouble from the early minutes of the first quarter.
Howard scored just two points in the first half after picking up his third personal foul coming off the bench midway through the second quarter.
Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins also went dry in the first half, matching Howard’s two points. Perkins would have only two points for the night though.
After a neck-and-neck first quarter, the Celtics closed the half up 11, 51–40 with excellent ball movement and forcing 10 Orlando turnovers.
Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen led the way with 11 points each for the half, and Rondo also led with four assists and had nine for the night. The two finished the night with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
Celtics leader Kevin Garnett was a miserable 0–5 in field goals in the first half but pulled down five rebounds. Garnett finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Third Quarter Meltdown
When asked what the Celtics needed to do in the second half to come away with the win, Rondo told ESPN, “Ball movement. Don’t get caught up in one-on-one, be sure to take care of the ball, and get back on defense.”
That was exactly what the Celtics didn’t do, coming out in the third quarter with a stagnant offense that produced just 11 points and gave up 7 turnovers.
Orlando went on a 19–0 run to first tie it up at 60 and then break away for a 10 point lead in the final minutes of the third, with prolific scoring from Carter and Howard. Orlando widened the lead to 14 to end the disastrous third quarter for the Celtics 76–62.
“We just started coming up with a new game plan during the middle of the third quarter; changing our defense, changing our offensive. The ball stopped moving, so we deserve it,” a frustrated Doc Rivers said at the end of the third quarter.
Howard picked up his fifth foul at the 5:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter but again stayed in, hitting key free throws to dissipate the Celtics’ energy.
Rondo hit a long 3-pointer to bring the Celtics back within 10 at the 2:00 minute mark, and the Celtics fought tooth-and-nail down the stretch, at one point pulling within five points. But the effort was too little too late for Boston.
“We need to play hard for 48 minutes and not give up bit leads like we did [in the first half] tonight,” Howard said after the game.
“Five more minutes and [Boston] probably would have got the win.”
