Fourth quarter, 25.4, Celtics 89-83: The Celtics are going to pull off an improbable, perhaps season-changing win, rallying back from a 27-point deficit for their second straight win over Orlando. Paul Pierce has 24 points, 19 in the second half.
Fourth quarter, 5:56, Celtics 79-78: Celtics have wasted three chances to go up 5 and Dwight Howard makes them pay with a layup. Doc Rivers sees his team is tired and calls timeout. Celtics are 10 of 18 from the 3-point line.
Fourth quarter, 7:32, Celtics 79-76: A stirring 13-0 run has the Celtics up for the first time since early in the first quarter and they trailed 52-25 at the midway point of the second quarter. E'Twaun Moore is having his biggest game as a Celtic with 12 points off the bench, all 3-pointers.
Fourth quarter, 9:30, Magic 76-74: Celtics have all the confidence now and Paul Pierce is heading up. He has 7 straight points and the fans in Orlando are anxious. The Celtics defense is back to controlling the game as they did in the first matchup Monday.
End of third quarter, Magic 75-64: Celtics have never stopped playing hard and ended the quarter on a 17-7 run to make it interesting. Paul Pierce scored 9 points in the quarter while E'Twaun Moore hit a key 3-pointer as the Celtics are making up for their first half miseries.
Third quarter, 5:12, Magic 68-47: Orlando counters with an 8-2 run but not before Paul Pierce missed an open 3-pointer that could have cut the deficit to 12. Dwight Howard has 8 points for Orlando while Pierce has 11 on 3-for-11 shooting.
Third quarter, 8:39, Magic 60-45: Celtics have scored 8 of the first 10 points of the half, 6 of those by Paul Pierce and suddenly the game isn't a joke anymore. But they need more defensive stops and some 3-pointers to make it interesting. Dwight Howard is being stymied by Kevin Garnett, by the way.
Halftime, Magic 58-37: Celtics with a mini 12-6 run to end the half to make it somewhat respectable but this is a disaster so far. The Magic is getting every break, every bounce and every call seemingly and the Celtics just look lost without Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. Scoring has been an issue but so has fouling. The Celtics committed too many silly fouls in the first half and would need a nice run to begin the third quarter to have any shot.
Second quarter, 2:47, Magic 52-27: Yeah the score is right. Orlando is on a 50-19 run and has turned this into a nationally televised embarrassment. The Celtics can't score consistently and have made nine field goals. Orlando has 21 field goals are getting every break. And Dwight Howard has 4 points.
