Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic, Game 3 (series tied 1-1)
The Boston Celtics put up an effort worthy of the defending NBA champions on Wednesday night in Game 2, pretty much dominating the Orlando Magic from the start on the way to 112-94 victory.
That evened this East semifinal heading into tonight’s Game 3 in Orlando, in which the Magic are 5-point WagerWeb.com favorites, with an over/under of 189.
The problem for Orlando is that its already weak backcourt was thoroughly crushed by Boston’s Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and, yes, Eddie House. In fact, it was House who was the story of Game 2, with 31 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Those were his most playoff points ever, and House played more minutes in a playoff game than he had since his rookie season of 2001.
House was so good, in fact, the he got under the skin of Magic starting point guard Rafer Alston, with Alston slapping a celebrating House in the back of the head during Game 2. That earned Alston a suspension for Game 3.
“He gets under everybody’s skin when he gets us going,” Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s not personal. I mean, he just gets so wound up, and that’s good. I’m a big believer in emotion. And some people take it the wrong way, but I’ll take it as long as he’s on my side.”
The Magic might not miss Alston too much, as he averaging 7.5 points and 6.0 assists this series but shooting a terrible 27.3 percent, including a big zero from 3-point range. It’s expected that journeyman Anthony Johnson will get the start.
Meanwhile, the Magic don’t yet know if they will have starting shooting guard Courtney Lee back for Game 3. Lee has been out since taking an elbow to the face and suffering a fractured nasal cavity. But he returned to practice Wednesday and is adjusting to the mask he must wear. Lee will be a game-time decision, with J.J. Redick expected to start regardless. Redick, who has 27 points through the first two games in Lee’s place, has held his own against Allen and been one of the few bright spots for Orlando.
Magic center Dwight Howard was held to 12 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2, so he took the blame for the loss.
“It starts with me on both ends,” he said. “The first game I was more active on the defensive end.”
Boston has outscored Orlando by 41 points since the Celtics started a failed comeback attempt in the third quarter of Game 1 when they trailed 65-37.
WagerWeb.com Key Trends
* Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Orlando.
* Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
* Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
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