Pierce had the hot hand tonight.
The Celtics took down the Orlando Magic tonight 95-92 in enemy territory for the team's second straight road win. Led by Paul Pierce (28 points) and Rajon Rondo (25), the Celtics continued to defer to the hot hands.
When previewing the series, we focused on the necessity of the Celtics to rebound the basketball. Tonight the Celtics out rebounded the Magic 38-36 and when they do that they will be tough to beat. Five Celtics players chipped in with five plus boards on the evening and it will take a team effort storming the glass to out rebound the Magic.
The C's were up most of the game, but the Magic showed resilience and stuck around. However, the Celtics made some key free throws down the stretch and Orlando missed some clutch ones of their own (Vince Carter).
Despite the fact that Kevin Garnett (5-16 FGs) and Ray Allen (1-6) were not able to find their range, the Celtics were able to overcome their offensive inefficiencies on the night. In particular, Glen "Big Baby" Davis played 28 inspired minutes off of the bench. With all of the foul trouble the big men faced trying to guard Dwight Howard (30 points), Davis chipped in with an efficient 8 points and 6 rebounds while drawing some key charging fouls on Orlando.
The series will shift back to Boston for a Saturday night showdown at The Garden. The Celtics cannot let up. This Orlando team has held around and the team must continue to play inspired basketball against a now desperate Magic squad.
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