Game 6 Recap
Orlando, FL – Dwight Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-75 on Thursday night to force a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Rashard Lewis had 20 points, and Hedo Turkoglu hit his only 3-pointer of the game to highlight a closing 11-2 run for the Magic, who haven’t made it to the conference finals since 1996.
Rajon Rondo finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, and Paul Pierce scored 17 points for the defending champion Celtics, who led by 10 points in the second half.
Game 7 is Sunday in Boston.
Howard’s big effort came two days after he challenged coach Stan Van Gundy’s strategy.
The Celtics failed to close out Chicago in Game 6 of their first-round series, a triple-overtime epic. Boston will now go the distance in its first two series for the second straight season.
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Posted: 5/15/09 12:30AM ET