Penny Scoreless In Loss To Celtics

Penny Hardaway matched the temperatures on the streets of Boston on Wednesday night: ice cold.

As a result the Orlando Magic saw their four-game winning streak end as they were pounded 111-79 by the Boston Celtics.

"The problem was the gym felt really cold. I couldn't get a handle on the ball. It felt like I was playing on ice," said Hardaway, who didn't score.

The Celtics rebounded from a 2-4 road trip as Paul Pierce scored 19 points. It was the third consecutive game the rookie has led the Celtics in scoring.

"Pierce is an awesome player. I didn't realize he was that good," said Hardaway. "His shooting shocked me, he can really knock down the jumper."

The Celtics led from the start and took control in the third quarter by outscoring the Magic 33-19.

"We couldn't find it anywhere, we looked in every direction we could," said Magic coach Chuck Daly. "We had no emotion, no intensity."

Dana Barros added 17 points, including four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, for Boston.

The Magic backcourt of Nick Anderson and Hardaway was held to Anderson's six points. The two combined for 54 points when Orlando beat Boston 107-90 on Feb. 8 and were averaging 18.7 (Anderson) and 17.5 (Hardaway) this season.

"The way we dominated them the last time we played, I knew they were going to make adjustments," said Anderson.

Ike Austin led the Magic with 13 points, while Horace Grant had 12 and Matt Harpring 11.

Boston went on an 11-3 run early in the third quarter that was keyed by two field goals by Antoine Walker, who scored 17 points. Pierce, Eric Riley ad Andrew DeClercq also had baskets during the stretch.

The run was capped with 5:02 left in the third quarter when Pierce stole the ball from Bo Outlaw, fed Walker, who threw an over-the-shoulder pass to Ron Mercer. Mercer dunked, giving Boston a 66-42 lead.

"I got really excited tonight, because not only did they play great defense, but they were all passing the ball. I thought Antoine gave us a big lift on the break, completing every pass," said coach Rick Pitino.

The Celtics extended their lead with a 13-6 run over the final three minutes of the third quarter and took a 83-54 lead going to the final quarter.

"Everybody played unselfish. We came out and put ourselves in a must-win situation. This game definitely showed our capabilities," said Walker.

Notes

• Other than Wednesday, the Celtics have held the lead at halftime only one other time this season.
• Mercer started for the first time since Feb. 5 against Toronto.
• Riley had a career-high 14 rebounds for Boston.
• The Magic, who were shooting 43.8 percent from the field, were held to 34.9 percent in the game.