BOSTON (AP):

The Boston Celtics stormed over the top of the Orlando Magic to win 92-88 on Tuesday night and take a 3-2 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Ray Allen's three-pointer with 1:20 left gave Boston their first lead since the opening minutes. A lacklustre 36 minutes left Boston trailing by 14 points with less than nine minutes to play. The Celtics still trailed by 10 points with 5:39 on the clock, but then scored the 13 points to go ahead 88-85.

Stephen Marbury scored all his 12 points in the final quarter. Paul Pierce had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Kendrick Perkins grabbed 11 rebounds, and Game Four hero Glen Davis scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Davis also grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of free throws after Dwight Howard intentionally missed a free throw with 5.9 seconds left.

Game Four flop

"It's all about never giving in and having the heart of a champion," Pierce said.

Dwight Howard had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Orlando, which need a victory in Game Six today to force the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game.

In Los Angeles, the hosts bounced back from their Game Four flop, routing Houston 118-78 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semi-finals.

On Sunday the Lakers trailed by 29 points. On Tuesday night, they had a 29-point lead by late in the second quarter, on a three-pointer by Kobe Bryant, who led seven Lakers in double figures.

The Lakers can wrap up the series today in Houston.

"We've got to stay focused and understand that the effort we gave tonight is not going to be enough today. It's just not," Bryant said. "We're not playing some chump team. I don't care how many people they have out. This is a tough team, it's a tough team full of competitors."