The Boston Celtics took a tight hold on the Eastern Conference finals with a 95-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, staving off a late rally to open a 2-0 series lead with back-to-back road wins.
Paul Pierce scored 22 of a team-high 28 points in the first half to put the streaking Celtics on course for a healthy lead in the best-of-seven set before the teams head to Boston for Saturday’s Game Three.
“We were ready for the intensity they were going to bring,” Pierce told reporters after Boston built a nine-point lead in the first quarter and controlled a majority of the game. “We’re not going to take these two wins for granted.”
Firing on all cylinders and showing a fair degree of steely resolve in the closing minutes, the Celtics captured a fifth straight playoff game as their bid to recapture the NBA title-winning form of 2008 gathers steam.
Boston had an 11-point fourth-quarter lead wiped out as a resurgent Orlando took a one-point edge with 3:35 left, but the Celtics closed the game with a 6-2 run capped by two Pierce free throws for the final margin.
Jameer Nelson made a desperation three-point attempt from just inside half-court at the buzzer but was unable to send the game into overtime.
Dwight Howard rebounded from a poor Game One and scored 30 points but the Magic were held to just 39 percent shooting and now face an uphill battle if they are to reach their second straight NBA Finals.
Two late-game errors hurt the Magic’s chances of taking the series to Boston all square, starting with Vince Carter’s missed free throws that could have brought the home team within one with 31 seconds left.
Then as Orlando got the rebound for its final possession, reserve J.J. Redick made the mistake of advancing the ball before calling timeout.
Because of the error, the team was not allowed to inbound the ball at midcourt and had to pass from the backcourt, making their final attempt a more difficult one.
“It was a big difference because [on the last play] Rashard [Lewis] got open but because we were inbounding in the backcourt, we could not make the pass to him,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said.
Both Carter and Redick finished with 16 points apiece.
Boston guard Rajon Rondo had 25 points and eight assists to back up Pierce, who has been rejuvenated since averaging just 13.5 points-per-game in the second round.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Taiwanese shortstop Cheng Tsung-che on Friday made history for the Boston Red Sox’s Triple A affiliate, hitting the Worcester Red Sox’s first cycle, while netting two runs, as they beat fellow Taiwan teammate Stuart Fairchild’s Columbus Clippers. The 24-year-old former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect went 4-4, completing a full cycle, starting with a triple in the second inning off Ryan Webb in the WooSox’s 9-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians’ Triple A affiliate. He scored in the same inning after teammate Vinny Capra, a fellow former Pirate, grounded out. The Pingtung County native followed that up with a walk in the third, an
RSS