BOSTON – The Boston Celtics overcame an inspired performance from Carmelo Anthony to beat the New York Knicks and take a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series on Tuesday, while Orlando and Dallas also grabbed victories.
Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who scored 46 points in a Game One loss to the Hawks, poured in 33 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as the Magic beat Atlanta 88-82 to even their series at 1-1.
In Dallas, the Mavericks got 21 points off the bench from Peja Stojakovic to compliment 33 from Dirk Nowitzki as the home team held off the Portland Trail Blazers 101-89 to take a 2-0 series lead with Game Three set for Thursday in Portland.
With New York’s Chauncey Billups out due to a sore knee and Amare Stoudemire sitting out the second half because of back spasms, Anthony stepped up and matched a career playoff high with 42 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.
However, Anthony’s outstanding individual effort was not enough as the Celtics hung on for a 96-93 win.
After back-to-back heart-breaking losses, the Knicks head home to the ‘Big Apple’ for Games Three and Four on Friday and Sunday, needing at least one win to avoid being swept from the first round.
The Knicks clawed their way back to a 93-92 lead with 19 seconds to play before Kevin Garnett dropped the go-ahead basket with 13 seconds left on the clock. He followed that up with a big defensive play at the other end of the court, diving on a loose ball with just four seconds left.
Rajon Rondo paced the Celtics with 30 points.
“We have so many weapons,” Rondo told reporters. “Kevin wanted the ball and I told him to be ready and he came through for us on both ends of the floor.”
Orlando avoided falling behind 2-0 in their series with the help of a 10-1 run to close the third quarter that gave the Magic a 65-54 cushion.
Jameer Nelson had 13 points for the Magic while Hedo Turkoglu had 10.
Jamal Crawford had 25 points coming off the bench to lead the Hawks and Josh Smith had 17.
Portland were looking to return home with the series tied 1-1, but Nowitzki led the Mavs to a 28-17 fourth-quarter advantage to fend off the visitors.
Stojakovic, who was released by the Toronto Raptors before the Mavericks signed him in January, drained five three-pointers and was a point short of his season-high.
LaMarcus Aldridge paced the Blazers with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
