Rockets And Magic Force Game 7

May 15, 2009 - Written by Jimmy

Thursday night was a busy night in the NBA Playoffs. The Boston Celtics looked to eliminate Dwight Howard, and the Orlando Magic, in Orlando, in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Later in the evening, the Los Angeles Lakers visited the Houston Rockets, minus Yao Ming, looking to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The early game featured a dominant Dwight Howard, and a determined Magic team. They trailed most of the evening, but in the fourth quarter, the Magic took control of the game. They didn't let up until they had beaten Boston, 83 to 75. Howard led the way for the Magic while dropping 23 points and collecting 22 rebounds. The Celtics could really never put the Magic away, with their sloppy play. The Celtics committed 19 turnovers to Orlando's 9.

In the other Semifinals game, L.A. was looking to come out and eliminate the Rockets, but instead got a similar performance as in game 4. The Rockets came out of the blocks on a 17 to 1 run, and never looked back. At times, the game got close, as few as 3 points, but the Lakers never had enough to get over the top, despite Kobe Bryant dropping 32 points. The Rockets beat L.A., 95 to 80, forcing a game 7 back in Los Angeles.

Both series resume on Sunday, starting at 3:30p EST, with the Rockets vs. Lakers, then is followed up by the Magic, going to Boston, to take on the Celtics at 8:00p EST. Although the lines are unavailable, at this time, the road teams, Rockets and Magic, will both be underdogs. The USA Sportsbooks in Las Vegas should be releasing official game lines later today.