The Philadelphia 76ers hope to build on a thrilling comeback win when they face the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series.
Andre Iguodala's fadeaway jumper from the top of the key over the outstretched arms of Hedo Turkoglu with 2.2 seconds left in the game proved to be the difference, as the Sixers overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to stun the heavily-favored Magic, 100-98, in Orlando on Sunday.
The sixth-seeded Sixers made 5-of-7 from three-point range in the fourth quarter, including a 3-of-4 effort by veteran forward Donyell Marshall. Lou Williams scored eight of his 18 in the final stanza, which the visitors won, 35-19.
Iguodala finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, and did a tremendous job containing Turkoglu, who went 2-for-8 from the field for six points and missed a game-winning three at the buzzer for the Southeast Division champs.
Dwight Howard posted his usual double-double with 31 points and 16 rebounds, while rookie Courtney Lee added 18 points but struggled at the defensive end for the third-seeded Magic, who went 32-9 this season at Amway Arena and swept the three-game regular season series against Philadelphia.
"Our effort has to be a little bit better, especially on the defensive end," Howard admitted after the game. "We came out and the defensive intensity as a whole wasn't there. For Game 2, we have to come out with a better effort on the defensive end."
Howard put up his impressive numbers despite being inadvertently poked in the eye by Sixers center Samuel Dalembert during the third quarter. The All-Star said he was feeling a "pulsating" sensation in his eyes but assured the injury would not keep him out of tonight's game.
The self-proclaimed "Superman" got some better news on Tuesday when he became the youngest player ever to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award. The 6-foot-11, 23-year-old big man led the NBA in rebounds and blocks during the regular season, averaging 13.8 boards and 2.92 swats.
Howard is just the fifth player in NBA history to finish the season leading the league in both categories (1973-74 was the first season blocks were kept as an official statistic), joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (LA Lakers, 1975-76), Bill Walton (Portland Trail Blazers, 1976-77), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston, 1989-90) and Ben Wallace (Detroit, 2001-02).
Dalembert, meanwhile, is struggling with a strained right shoulder but played 17 minutes on Sunday and is expected to start in Game 2.
These two teams have met in the postseason just once in 1999 when Philadelphia beat Orlando in four games during the first round.
Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.
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