Magic-Celtics Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Jan 23 2012 1:25AM

Whether or not Dwight Howard is with the Orlando Magic by the end of the season, it is an almost certainty that he will end up as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

As Howard approaches the top of the team's scoring list and Orlando continues to play well despite trade rumors surrounding their star, the Boston Celtics are finding it more difficult to compete with the NBA's elite.

Orlando looks to win its fifth straight on the road Monday night when it faces Boston.

Howard needs 26 points to become the Magic's all-time leading scorer after he had 21 points and 23 rebounds in a 92-80 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. It was his second straight 20-20 game and fifth this season.

The Magic (11-4) led 22-10 at the end of the first quarter in a poor-shooting affair. Still, they went on to win for the sixth time in seven games and are atop the Southeast Division.

Orlando has also played the last two games without starting forward Hedo Turkoglu (back spasms).

"We're playing pretty good basketball right now," Howard said. "We've just got to keep it up. Everybody's playing the right way."

While Orlando appears to be on the upswing, Boston has been hurt by injuries to its veterans and had lost five straight before winning two of its last three games.

The Celtics found themselves without two starters by the end of a 100-94 victory over league-worst Washington on Sunday. Rajon Rondo missed his second straight game with a sprained right wrist while Ray Allen left with an ankle injury after being fouled with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.

Allen wasn't sure if he would play Monday and coach Doc Rivers said Boston was being cautious with Rondo.

"He's close, but we've just got to get it right," Rivers said before the game.

Even with Rondo sidelined and Allen missing much of the game, the Celtics were able to pull ahead late as Paul Pierce finished with a season-high 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Pierce, who missed the first three games of the season with a bruised right heel, totaled 20 points on 8 of 24 shooting the previous two games. He connected on 10 of 15 Sunday.

"I'm one of our, if not our main scorer on this ballclub," Pierce said. "That's my role. I haven't been doing a good job of it lately, but a lot of that has to do with just being in game shape, getting my legs stronger, being able to get up and down and jump."

Boston is 0-6 against teams with a winning record with four of those losses coming at home.

Monday's game will be a homecoming for Glen Davis, who won a championship with the Celtics in 2008 and returned to the NBA finals with them two years later. The always emotional Davis, who was traded in the offseason along with Von Wafer as part of the deal for Brandon Bass, is averaging 7.9 points in 22.5 minutes per game this season.

"It's tough for Glen, in some ways," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "You just have to deal with it ... and try to keep your emotions in check and just go out and play basketball."

Boston has won two straight against the Magic despite allowing Howard to average 30.5 points and 13.0 rebounds in those games.

These teams meet again in Orlando on Thursday.

Pierce, Bass carry Celtics over Magic, 87-56

Posted Jan 24 2012 12:10AM

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics' injuries didn't affect what coach Doc Rivers always wants - solid defense.

Paul Pierce and former Magic forward Brandon Bass each scored 19 points to carry the injury-riddled Celtics to an 87-56 win over Orlando on Monday night.

The Magic set franchise lows for points and field goals (16).

"Defensively that was as good as you can get," Rivers said after his team matched a club record for fewest points allowed in the shot-clock era, also done last season against Milwaukee.

Boston was minus starters Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and three bench players, drastically reducing its roster.

Bass and Pierce carried the offense and Boston got some strong play from a cast of down-the-bench reserves. The Celtics snapped a streak of six straight losses against teams with winning records.

Pierce is looking for it to shake Boston out of its early season woes.

"Hopefully it'll funnel over to the guys that were out," said Pierce, who followed a 34-point effort in a win at Washington on Sunday. "There's no more excuses."

Avery Bradley and Sasha Pavlovic started in the backcourt for Boston and attempted to pressure Orlando's guards early, helping the Celtics pick up the pressure defensively.

"(It) started with Avery," Rivers said. "The ball pressure - and then it led to everyone. They're a great shooting team. ... Everything had to be precise and it was."

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 18 points and 14 rebounds. He needs eight points to surpass Nick Anderson as the Magic's career scoring leader.

Howard was 0 for 6 from the floor and just 4 for 10 from the free throw line in the second half.

"They came out and absolutely dominated us with their energy and defensive intensity," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Boston.

The Celtics led by 10 at the half, turned up the pressure defensively and scored 16 of the first 21 points in the second half to pull ahead 62-41. Pierce had seven points in the run and set up Marquis Daniels for a layup that gave Boston its 21-point edge with 2:31 remaining in the quarter.

The Celtics held Orlando to one field goal in the opening 9:52 of the third and just two for the quarter - both 3-pointers. The Magic hit 2 of 11 shots and had nine turnovers.

"It was a tough game. They pressured us a lot," Howard said. "We rushed shots. It just wasn't a good night overall for us."

Howard, who missed 5 of 8 free throws in the third and went 0 for 5 from the field, flung the ball in frustration at the end of the quarter, nailing the backboard from his own end of the floor as the horn sounded with Boston holding a 69-46 lead.

Boston didn't let up in the fourth until Pierce and Garnett came out with just over five minutes to play. The Magic had a season-high 25 turnovers, 20 in the second half, and a season-low points.

Jermaine O'Neal and Howard were involved in a brief shoving match in the lane and both were given technicals midway into the third quarter. O'Neal got the initial foul on the play with a hard shove.

The Celtics led 36-36 at halftime, with Pierce and Bass each scoring 13 points.

The Celtics acquired Bass in a sign-and-trade deal with Orlando that sent Glen "Big Baby" Davis to the Magic.

Boston forwards Mickael Pietrus (shoulder) and Chris Wilcox (left calf) and guard Keyon Dooling (right knee) were also out - though not missed on this night.

Boston scored nine straight points late in the second quarter, pulling to a 43-33 lead on Pierce's 3 from the left wing with 45 seconds left.

"There's no way KG should be beating me up and down the floor," Howard said, before joking about the age difference. "There was a couple plays where he beat me up and down the floor. There's no way. He's 40 and I'm 25. I just can't allow that to happen. I have to step up and be the leader for this team."

NOTES: Orlando's previous season-low was 78 points. The franchise-low was 57, set Dec. 4, 1996 against Cleveland. ... The Celtics welcomed back Davis during a break in the opening quarter with highlights and "Thank You Big Baby" on the jumbotron. He got a standing ovation from the crowd, walked onto the court and pumped his fist. ... Van Gundy said before the game that he's amused how people are talking about Boston's slow start this season. "People see the record and panic," he said. "People talk about `The Celtics are too old and can't play.' I'm not buying it. What are they going to say when they start winning, they got younger?" ... Forward Jeff Green, who had surgery Jan. 9 to repair an aeortic aneurysm, visited Boston's locker room before the game and in the morning. "It was awesome," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "I'm amazed. Two weeks and he's walking around. We were sarcastic this morning, saying `He's walking around and you guys can't play."'

Notebook: Celtics 87, Magic 56

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Monday January 23, 2012 11:52PM

THE FACTS: The Boston Celtics held the Orlando Magic to a franchise-low in points, helping them cruise to their second straight victory with an 87-56 win. The record-setting defensive effort was all the more impressive given how shorthanded Boston was, as it was missing five players, including starters Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen due to injury. The entire roster stepped up their game without the two of the team's All-Stars, tying a franchise record for fewest points allowed with 56. Paul Pierce had a game-high 19 points for the Celtics, as they steadily built upon a double-digit lead in the second half with their stingy defense. Kevin Garnett also had a double-double in the team's first win over an opponent with a winning record all season. Orlando shot an inept 24.6 percent from the field and Dwight Howard was the team's only player in double figures with 18 points.

QUOTABLE: "They took us out of everything we did. I'm not saying we don't deserve blame, give us a lot of blame, but also make sure you give them a lot of credit. I mean that intensity and that defense was absolutely phenomenal."
-- Stan Van Gundy on Boston's defense

THE STAT: Orlando scored an anemic 20 points in the second half, as Boston set a new franchise record for fewest points allowed in a half during the shot clock era. The Magic also hit a mere 18.5 percent of their shots from the field over those 24 minutes. The team's 24.6 percent shooting percentage for the evening was the lowest percentage in an NBA game since 2004.

TURNING POINT: The Celtics held a double-digit lead for the entire second half, but the game remained competitive in the early stages of the third quarter despite Orlando's porous offense. It wasn't until midway through the frame when Boston seized complete command of the contest with an 8-0 run, pushing its lead to 21 and putting the game out of reach for the Magic.

QUOTABLE II: "I think it really started at the top with Avery Bradley tonight. I mean, he was very infectious on the rest of us with his ball pressure all night long."
-- Pierce

HOT: Brandon Bass -- The C's sixth man tied Pierce for a game-high with 19 points and couldn't miss in the second quarter. Bass hit all seven of his shots in the period, (four field goals, three free throws) to finish with 11 of the Celtics' 24 points in the frame.

NOT: Dwight Howard -- After hitting his first three baskets of the night, Howard struggled just like the rest of his team to find the bottom of the net. The All-Star center missed 11 of his 12 final shots, finishing with an underwhelming 4-for-15 line.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Pierce -- With Rondo sidelined, the C's captain has taken on more of a point forward role within Rivers' offense and it has showed in the box score. After nearly having a triple-double Sunday against Washington, Pierce followed it up with another terrific all-around effort with seven assists and five rebounds to go along with his 19 points.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Patrick Chung and Brian Waters of the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots enjoyed the game from courtside.

GOOD MOVE: Bradley helped to neutralize Orlando's offense by playing full-court pressure defense against Orlando's point guards for his 29 minutes on the floor. Players from both sides credited Bradley for setting the defensive tone with his energy all night for Boston.

ROOKIE WATCH: With Boston having only 10 active players, rookies JaJuan Johnson, Greg Stiemsma and E'Twaun Moore all saw extended minutes in the blowout victory for Boston. Moore played the biggest role out of the trio, backing up Bradley at point guard and chipping in six points off the bench in 19 minutes.

NOTABLE: Glen Davis made his first return to Boston. His former team greeted him with a Jumbotron tribute and a standing ovation from the crowd. Davis was dealt with Von Wafer in the offseason to Orlando for Bass. ... The win was the Celtics' second lowest shooting percentage allowed in franchise history. Boston's 16 field goals allowed was also a new franchise record in the shot clock era. ... Orlando had 15 of its 23 turnovers in the second half. ... Not one Magic player shot above 40 percent from the field. ... The Celtics hit all 19 of their free throws. ... Mickael Pietrus (shoulder), Keyon Dooling (knee) and Chris Wilcox (calf) all sat out due to injuries. Dooling and Rondo are on pace to return to action later this week. ... Boston led by as many as 33 points. ... Jermaine O'Neal and Howard got into a scuffle and were whistled for technical fouls midway through the third quarter. ... The two teams will face off in a rematch Thursday night.

UP NEXT: For the Magic, Tuesday @ Indiana, Thursday vs. Boston, Friday @ Portland. For the Celtics, Thursday @ Orlando, Friday vs. Indiana, Sunday vs. Cleveland.

• Magic: Liggins, Orton
• Celtics: Dooling, Wilcox

• Magic: Howard
• Celtics: O'Neal

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #20 Leroy Richardson, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:22