Celtics-Magic Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jan 25 2012 11:15PM

The Boston Celtics are playing much better despite injuries to several key contributors.

An undermanned lineup wasn't a problem earlier this week against the Orlando Magic, who set a record for futility in an ugly loss.

It's likely to be much tougher for Boston to win a third straight game Thursday night when it visits the Magic.

Boston (7-9) has bounced back from a five-game losing streak with three wins in four games, a stretch punctuated by an 87-56 win over Orlando (12-5) on Monday. The Celtics were missing five players, including Ray Allen (left ankle) and Rajon Rondo (right wrist), but still turned in a stout defensive effort that included holding the Magic to franchise-record lows in points and field goal percentage (24.6).

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

Rivers may need another strong defensive performance if his team is going to win a fourth consecutive meeting with Orlando.

The Celtics are expected to be without Allen, averaging 14.9 points, for a second consecutive game after he was injured in Sunday's 100-94 win at Washington.

Rondo, though, might be back, and that would give Boston its assists leader (9.4) and second-highest scorer (15.0). He's been even more productive on the road, averaging 18.0 points and 10.8 assists.

Boston could also use another strong performance from Brandon Bass, who is making his return to Orlando after being traded for Glen Davis and Von Wafer during the offseason.

Bass had 19 points with eight rebounds in his first meeting against the Magic since joining the Celtics, and has been key during the 3-1 stretch with averages of 14.0 points and 8.0 boards.

Paul Pierce scored 19 on Monday after he had season highs of 34 points and 10 rebounds against the Wizards.

The Magic would like to avenge Monday's defeat after bouncing back from it a day later with a 102-83 win at Indiana.

"Our intensity picked up at the defensive end, we did a great job of moving the ball on offense," center Dwight Howard said. "It was a really good win for us. It shows a lot for us to be able to bounce back from (Monday)."

Howard became the Magic's all-time leading scorer in the victory, scoring 14 points to give him 10,657 for his career, second among active centers to Boston's Jermaine O'Neal (12,463).

"It's a humbling experience," Howard said of the record. "It does mean a lot. Not too many players in this league can say that they were their franchise's leading scorer."

Howard was the only member of the Magic to reach double-digits in points against Boston earlier this week, finishing with 18 and 14 rebounds. However, he made just 4 of 15 from the floor and 10 of 18 from the line.

Despite that poor shooting performance, he's averaging 26.3 points and 13.3 rebounds over the last three meetings with the Celtics.

Orlando's Ryan Anderson gets a shot at redemption after he failed to score and missed all eight shots from the field Monday versus Boston. He bounced back with 24 points and eight rebounds against the Pacers.

Celtics erase 27-point deficit, beat Magic 91-83

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Posted Jan 27 2012 12:31AM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) The Orlando Magic trudged out of Boston this week, toting only embarrassment following a lopsided 31-point loss to the Celtics.

For a while it appeared as though the Magic would return the favor. Instead, the Celtics took advantage of Orlando's fourth-quarter meltdown and erased a 27-point deficit to hand the Magic an even more humbling defeat on their home floor, 91-83 on Thursday night.

Paul Pierce had 24 points and 10 assists, and E'Twaun Moore added 16 points off the bench to help Boston beat Orlando for the second time this week.

Pierce and Moore had 10 points each in the fourth quarter to surge past a Magic team that led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter before shooting 2 for 17 from the field in the final 12 minutes. They scored just eight points in the period.

"Everybody was big," Pierce said. "Obviously, when you got a rookie (Moore) who hasn't played too much to come in and do the things he did - that's big for us.

"This team decided to stand up and fight."

Moore said the Celtics needed a game like this.

"It's definitely a confidence builder for our whole team," Moore said. "Knowing we can play with some of the best teams out there."

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Jason Richardson added 13 points, and Ryan Anderson had 12.

The Celtics have won three straight for just the second time this season. It also was their fourth consecutive victory over the Magic, dating to last season.

Since a season-best, five-game winning streak, the Magic have lost three times in five games, including a 31-point defeat at Boston on Monday.

"We thought it was going to be easy after the first two quarters," Howard said. "We can't allow that to happen. We've got to change. We have to change what we do, and guys have to know their roles and do it. That's just the bottom line."

The Celtics disrupted the Magic's offensive flow in the fourth, so much so that it led to a pair of late, frustration technical fouls on Howard and Anderson.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said tempers boiled up so much that it got to a point where players were simply driving to the basket trying to make plays on their own.

"Their pressure, again, really pushed us sideways," Van Gundy said. "We got frustrated with the officials and we got totally off our game."

Asked if he thought the Celtics did better with Xs and Os late, Richardson said there wasn't a singular scapegoat issue.

"It was everything," he said.

After being mostly manhandled on both ends for three quarters, Boston found its energy in the final 12 minutes, sparked by Pierce and Moore.

The Celtics opened the fourth quarter with a 15-1 run and grabbed their first lead since the opening period, 79-76 with 7:32 to play.

The Magic went 0-for-7 from the field, missed 5 of 6 free throws and committed three turnovers during Boston's spurt.

A free throw by Pierce after Anderson's technical foul made it 84-78 with 3:47 remaining. The Magic got within 84-80 after a pair of free throws by Hedo Turkoglu, but no closer.

"That was a character builder for our team, it really was," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It's all that we talked about at halftime. Not a big game plan, we didn't make any big changes. We just kept talking about it being a character builder for this basketball team.

"We needed every single guy today and that was terrific."

Early on, it seemed like the Magic's night.

In a reversal of its dismal performance in the first half of Monday's loss, Orlando led 58-37 at halftime on Thursday - eclipsing its point total in the entire first game by a basket in the opening 24 minutes.

With three starters out, including center Jermaine O'Neal, Rivers was forced to start Kevin Garnett opposite Howard.

The move worked out early.

Howard was whistled for two quick fouls - one while setting a screen, and the second defending Garnett about 15 feet from the basket. He was forced to the bench less than three minutes in.

The Magic picked it up on both ends without him, and closed the quarter on a 30-11 run to build a 16-point lead.

But all that energy evaporated when it counted.

Now the Magic, a team that was seemingly ready to turn a corner will have to look inward if they're going to become an elite team, Van Gundy said.

"We've got to get to where we can just play the game," he said. "I've got to find a solution to that."

Notes: This marked the biggest lead the Magic have blown in a loss since 2001 when it blew a 22-point lead at Dallas. ... Magic owner Rich DeVos and former guard Nick Anderson presented Howard with a plaque to commemorate him passing Anderson as the Magic's career leading scorer. Howard broke the mark against Indiana earlier this week. ... Rivers was given his third technical foul of the season with 8:47 left in the first quarter. ... The Celtics played without G Rajon Rondo, who missed his fourth game because of a sore right wrist, G Ray Allen, who was out for a second game with an injured left ankle, and C Jermaine O'Neal, out because of a sore left knee. Rivers said Rondo is still in pain, and there is no timetable for his return.

Notebook: Celtics 91, Magic 83

By Dick Scanlon, for NBA.com
Posted Friday January 27, 2012 12:45AM

THE FACTS: The Boston Celtics shut down the Orlando Magic completely for the second time in four nights. This time it was just in the second half, but that was enough to erase a 27-point deficit and win 91-83.

Paul Pierce scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half while the Magic were held to just 25 points -- three nights after scoring 20 points in the second half of an 87-56 loss at Boston.

Dwight Howard had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Magic, who shot 2-for-17 with five turnovers in the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE: "In the first half, you saw us get out-hustled. They were getting the offensive rebounds. They were smiling, high-fiving and stuff. We said we were going to stick with it."
-- Celtics forward Paul Pierce.

THE STAT: The Magic led 58-37 at halftime. The 21-point margin was the largest they have ever had in a loss.

TURNING POINT: Rookie E'Twaun Moore opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, cutting Orlando's lead to eight points and starting a 15-1 Boston run.

QUOTABLE II: "That was a character builder for our team, it really was. It's all we talked about at halftime."
-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

HOT: The Celtics made 18 of their first 28 shots in the second half, turning a 21-point deficit into a three-point lead in 16 1/2 minutes.

NOT: The Magic shot 8-for-35 in the second half and 2-for-17 (while missing four straight free throws) in the fourth quarter. Between a couple of 3-pointers by Hedo Turkoglu, they went more than 18 minutes without making a jump shot.

GOOD MOVE: Rivers was reluctant to start Kevin Garnett at center, but it paid off in two early fouls on Howard and a lot of Magic frustration.

BAD MOVE: With the Magic down by one point and about six minutes left, Ryan Anderson found himself unguarded while driving into the lane, but passed off to Turkoglu on the perimeter. Turkoglu missed on what proved to be the Magic's last chance to take the lead.

QUOTABLE III: "We got frustrated with the physical play. We got frustrated with the officials and just got totally out of our game. It was tough to watch."
-- Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

ROOKIE WATCH: Moore scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and hit all four of his 3-point shots, three of them in the second half. Going into the game, he was 2-for-14 on 3-pointers.

NOTABLE: The Celtics played without starting guards Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen and starting center Jermaine O'Neal . . . Ryan Anderson, who went scoreless against the Celtics on Monday night, had all 12 of his points in the first quarter.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Friday vs. Indiana, Sunday vs. Cleveland, Tuesday at Cleveland. For the Magic, Friday @ New Orleans, Sunday vs. Indiana, Monday @ Philadelphia.

• Celtics: Allen, Rondo
• Magic: Harper, Liggins

• Celtics: Rivers
• Magic: Anderson, Howard, Redick

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
• Officials: #38 Michael Smith, #54 Nick Buchert, #36 David Jones
• Attendance: 18952
• Duration: 2:32