scrub in and win

The Celtics trailed by as many as 28 points and looked ready to pull off the impossible comeback, but the Magic hung on for the 95-90 win. Dwight Howard scored 16 points and grabbed 22 rebounds for the Magic, who stole home-court advantage and looked prepared for the defending champs.

Headliner: The Magic displayed a perfectly balanced offensive attack. Five players scored in double figures, led by Rashard Lewis‘ 18 points and Mickael Pietrus‘ 17 points off the bench. Hedo Turkoglu (15 points, five assists) and J.J. Redick (12 points) rounded out the scoring for Orlando. Due to some poor shooting in the fourth quarter, their shooting percentage was not overly impressive (43 percent), but the Magic’s lights-out shooting in the first half built a lead that proved to be too great for the Celtics to overcome.

Unsung hero: The talk going into the game centered on Kendrick Perkins. If he could stay out of foul trouble and contribute in the paint, the Celtics would win. Well, he did, but they didn’t. Perkins scored a modest six points but pulled down 16 rebounds (five offensive), made three blocks and committed just three fouls. It wasn’t enough for the Celtics to win, but it was an encouraging sign for the rest of the series.

Brian Scalabrine gets an honorable mention for scoring 10 points (2-3 from 3-point range), four rebounds and a game-high plus-22 rating in 27 minutes.

Scrub: With Kevin Garnett out, the Celtics can’t afford an off night from the remaining members of the Big Three. Ray Allen had an off night. In 40 minutes, Allen scored just nine points, shooting 2-12 from the field and 1-7 from 3-point range. When the Celtics were trailing big, it looked like a bad night from Allen was the least of their concerns. When the Celtics made it close, Allen’s night stood out as a deciding factor in the game.

Rajon Rondo had a rough night as well, turning the ball over seven times and shooting just 20 percent from the field.

Turning point: As the Celtics climbed back into the game and the home crowd was starting to believe, the Celtics needed a big bucket. Trailing 91-87 with 45 seconds left in the fourth, Ray Allen pulled up for the 3-pointer. The shot looked perfect but rattled in and out. The Celtics would later cut the lead to three points, but would not get any closer.