Boston beats Orlando on Glen Davis buzzer-beater

Agence France-Presse

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Taking a pass from Paul Pierce, Davis drained the game-winner. As he was surrounded by celebrating teammates at mid-court, officials reviewed the shot to be sure he released the ball in time.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said his players executed the final play just as he had intended, taking the ball out of the hands of Celtics stars Pierce and Ray Allen. But Davis came through.

"They had to have the patience to go all the way to their last option," Van Gundy said in tribute to Boston. "Glen Davis is a great shooter."

"I was just doing my assignment, being ready to shoot," said "Big Baby" Davis.

Later, he basked modestly in the post-game attention. "This is really neat," he said. "This is my first time, so bear with me."

Meanwhile the Houston Rockets, determined not to fold in the wake of a season-ending injury to star center Yao Ming, shocked the Los Angeles Lakers 99-87 to tie the series 2-2.

Shane Battier scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, for an explosive Houston lineup that established a 22-7 lead in the opening minutes and never trailed.

"I think everyone but us got the memo that we weren't supposed to show up today without Yao," Battier said. "I'm not surprised. It almost sounds clichŽ, but we're a resilient group. We talk about bouncing back. Through adversity, through lineup changes, through trades, through injuries, we've never quit and we've never stopped believing."

Luis Scola notched the fifth playoff double-double of his career, with 11 points and 14 rebounds for Houston.

China's Yao will miss the rest of the season with an injury.

"They (Los Angeles) didn't anticipate the energy that they (Houston) were going to come with," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "But you say as much as you can as a coach and then the players have to execute and do it on the floor." "This was the effort we expected," said Battier. "I don't know about the result, but it was the effort that we expected. There was a different look to our team today."