Boston Celtics

Celtics, 105-96 (2OT)

By Gary Dzen

1 minute to read

Apparently somebody forgot to tell Doc Rivers, Celtics players, and the 16,012 fans at the Garden tonight that the season was supposed to be over. If it were really over, Boston and Orlando probably wouldn’t have played two overtimes.

The Celtics played the role of spoiler to perfection, putting a crimp in Orlando’s playoff plans with a 105-96, double-OT win.

Paul Pierce was a man possessed in the fourth quarter and both overtime periods. The captain hit clutch shot after clutch shot on his way to 32 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Guarded closely by Hedo Turkoglu, Pierce used his patented step-back shot to score at will in the extra frames.

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Despite Boston’s effort, there was still an easy way to tell the Magic are fighting for a playoff spot and the Celtics are out of the race. The Orlando bench stood through all of overtime. Players on the Celtics bench rarely left their feet.

The game clearly meant more to Orlando.

  • Dwight Howard had a dismal game for the Magic. The All-Star center had 12 points and eight rebounds, but he was 4-of-9 from the field and 4-of-12 from the line.
  • Kendrick Perkins had a great game for Boston. The Celtics center had 11 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. He played great defense on Howard all game long.
  • Al Jefferson had 23 points and 13 rebounds in the best combined effort by the Celtics frontcourt all season.
  • Here are the final numbers in tonight’s battle of the former St. Joe’s stars:

    Delonte West: 6-13, 17 points, three assists, three rebounds
    Jameer Nelson: 4-16, nine points, four assists

  • Sebastian Telfair played 11 minutes for the Celtics. He had four points and two assists.
  • Turkoglu and Grant Hill led the Magic with 20 points.

    We’ll have delayed postgame quotes in a little bit.

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