Orlando led 12-10 and never again in the game. The Magic got within four in the third quarter and within three on a Glen ``Big Baby’’ Davis layup off a brilliant feed from Kyle O’Quinn. The Magic made one last push late in the game, clawing to 86-84 of the Celtics before Rondo delivered the knockout punch.
Oladipo endured a rocky shooting night, but overall handled the pressure of facing a ball-hawking point guard such as Rondo. He made just three of 16 shots, but finished with 12 points and five assists while running the team. He had just three turnovers in 38 minutes – an incredible number considering the pressure he faced most of Sunday.
``I think I did OK, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. For it being my first time being out there by myself for a while – I’ll have to get used to it – but it was OK,’’ Oladipo said. ``Overall I missed some shots that I normally make, but I did do a good job of not turning the ball over in the second half. I did a good job in certain areas, but there were a lot of areas that I could improve in to help our team win.’’
Rondo, who has been back on the floor for three weeks, scored 19 points and handed out 10 assists. He was in foul trouble much of the early portion of the second half, but he dominated the fourth quarter with four points and six assists down the stretch.
``That’s just his ability to orchestrate,’’ Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said of Rondo. ``The game comes down to the fourth quarter and he sees the pass before everyone else does. He kicks it to Jeff Green for a jumper or he gets into the lane. He’s done it a few times before.’’
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