"The Orlando Magic's little sparkplug ignited at just the right time.

Facing elimination from the Eastern Conference finals, Jameer Nelson gave his team's ailing offense a desperately needed boost Monday night. The diminutive point guard knifed through the lane like Steve Nash, dished to open teammates and hit two critical 3-pointers in overtime as the Magic beat the Celtics 96-92.

Nelson finished with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He also dished out nine assists.

"He created the vast majority of our offense tonight," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. So we put a lot on his shoulders. He responded extremely well."

Yet Nelson's biggest contributions came in the extra period.

With the score tied 86-86 and 2:42 remaining in overtime, he banked in a 3-pointer off the glass.

"I didn't call a bank shot, but it went in," Nelson said, a smile on his face. "I kind of misjudged where I was at. I was kind of wide-open, and it kind of shocked me. So, I kind of rushed my shot, but it went in. And I'm happy that it did, because it was big shot and a crucial play in the game."

So was his next shot 43 seconds later. He swished that trey to give Orlando a six-point lead.

But Nelson also played some of his best basketball midway through the fourth quarter. With the Magic trailing 76-74, Nelson dished to Dwight Howard for an easy dunk to tie the score.

On Orlando's next possession, Nelson dribbled down the court and found J.J. Redick wide-open in the left corner. Redick missed the shot, but Nelson collected the ball. Seconds later, Nelson drained a 3-pointer of his own from the left wing to give the Magic a 79-76 lead.

Later, he found Howard for an alley-oop dunk that stretched Orlando's advantage to 85-78 after Howard completed the 3-point play."