ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwight Howard blocked a potential go-ahead layup by Paul Pierce with 3.8 seconds left, and the Magic clinched its second straight Southeast Division title with an 84-82 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday night.
Howard had 24 points and 21 rebounds as the Magic (53-18) moved ahead of Boston (54-19) by percentage points for second in the Eastern Conference behind Cleveland. Orlando remains five games back of Cleveland for the conference lead with 11 games left. The Magic took the division title with Atlanta’s loss to San Antonio.
Pierce hit a jumper to cut Orlando’s lead to 83-82 with 1:27 left, but the Celtics couldn’t make up the difference without Kevin Garnett, who was limited to 16 minutes as Boston continues to work him back in the lineup from a right knee strain. Pierce then missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won it for Boston.
Rashard Lewis had 21 points, and Hedo Turkoglu added 13 points for the Magic, which nearly blew a 16-point lead before holding on for its fourth straight win. The Magic was held to 14 points in the fourth quarter.
