FINAL: Orlando Magic 104 - Boston Celtics 102
November 18, 2007 - Amway Arena
Box Score |
Play-By-Play |
Postgame Quotes |
Recap |
Video |
Photos
By Nick Adams | OrlandoMagic.com
RECAP
The Magic hand the Boston Celtics their first loss of the season as they hold on for a 104-102 victory at Amway Arena.
Orlando led by as much as 20 points but Boston fought back taking an 88-87 lead with 5:48 left. The Magic were able to regain the lead and hold on improving their record to 9-2.
All five Magic starters scored in double figures with Dwight Howard leading the way with 24 points. Paul Pierce led all scorers contributing 28 points in the losing effort.
Both teams shot well converting on over 50 percent of their field-goal attempts, but the Magic were able to force 20 Boston turnovers resulting in 22 Magic points.
The Magic face another tough opponent as they head back on the road to face the 9-2 New Orleans Hornets tomorrow night.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Magic start the fourth with two buckets but the Celtics answer back and cut the lead to 85-81 on a Tony Allen dunk three minutes into the final period.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the internet for taking tonight off, it has made my job a lot easier, and by easier I mean unbelievably difficult. Tonight has been a great game but I apologize for not being able report as well as I could.
Both teams pick up their defense and go scoreless for a couple of minutes but Howard heads to the line as KG picks up his fifth foul. Howard misses both and the Magic still cling to a 87-81 advantage with 6:46 remaining.
Boston gets a free-throw and a three from Eddie House and trail by only two. Posey nails a three giving Boston their first lead of the game at 88-87 with 5:48 left. The quiet Boston fans all of a sudden appear from the crowd and Scott Pollard, who hasn't seen the floor in five years, taunts the Amway Crowd. The Magic are forced to call a timeout.
Dwight splits a pair from the line tying the game at 88 as Garnett checks back into the game. Nelson gets fouled by House putting Boston over the limit and Nelson at the line where he makes both giving the Magic a two point lead.
Turkoglu nails a clutch three-pointer from the wing extending the Magic lead to five points at 93-88 with 4:49 to go. Boston coach Doc Rivers wants to talk things over and calls a timeout drawing everyone at Amway Arena to their feet.
Pierce comes out of the timeout and makes a bucket and then feeds Allen for a transition layup and the Magic lead is quickly cut to one. James Posey fouls out of the game as he knocks down Rashard Lewis attempting a three-pointer. Lewis makes two of three and the Magic lead 95-92 with 3:25 left.
Turkoglu brings the house down with a three-pointer from the top of the key but Garnett quiets the crowd briefly with two of his own. The Magic lead 98-94.
Howard splits a pair from the line and the Magic get called for a defensive three seconds at the other end. Allen can't convert on the free-throw but strokes a triple cutting the Magic lead to 99-97 at the two minute warning.
The Magic with a great defensive effort draw a three second call against Boston and control the ball with 1:28 left. Nelson draws a foul and heads to the line where he calmly nets both. Boston timeout with the Magic leading 101-97.
The Magic get a stop and control the ball inside of a minute but fail to convert giving Boston the ball. Allen is fouled and heads to the line with 54 seconds left. He makes both and the Magic lead 101-99. Nelson turns over the ball and Boston has two great looks at the basket but can't convert.
Magic get the ball and Lewis is fouled by Garnett who fouls out of the game. Lewis comes up big nailing both making it a two possession game with 15 seconds left. Boston calls a timeout and the Magic lead 103-99.
Allen strokes another three making the score 103-102 with 7.7 seconds left as the Magic call a timeout.
Rashard Lewis is fouled again and heads to the line for two where he splits the pair. Boston with the final shot which Paul Pierce takes a fadeaway three at the buzzer. He misses and the Magic win!
Final: Orlando Magic 104, Boston Celtics 102
THIRD QUARTER
Jameer Nelson starts the half with a jumper and Garnett counters with a fadeaway. Lewis continues the Magic's superb shooting netting a three from the top of the key. Rashard comes out aggressive in the second half as he takes the basketball to the hoop strong giving the Magic a 65-46 lead.
The teams trade buckets back and forth and the Magic lead 69-55 with 7:12 left in the third quarter. Orlando has held Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to just 14 points combined at this point. Dwight converts on a nice jump hook but Allen answers with two of his own. Dwight comes right back scoring his 21st point of the ballgame but the Celtics answer again this time with Garnett netting a fadeaway. The Magic lead 75-61 with 5:11 left in the third.
The Magic have definitely frustrated the Celtics tonight and you can see it in Boston's body expressions. Interesting match-up as the Magic have Trevor Ariza guarding Kevin Garnett and Ariza has done a great job on KG. Pierce converts a three-point play cutting the Magic lead to 75-64 with 3:45 left in the quarter. Pierce leads the Celtics and all scorers at this point with his 22 points. Garnett gets a pretty tip forcing a Magic timeout as they cling to a 77-69 lead.
I was told by the coaching staff before the game that the Magic would play a different type of defense forcing Celtic point guard Rajon Rondo to beat them. Rondo has scored 18 points but the Magic have done a great job against Boston's trio. I refuse to call them the "Big Three" as they are so often referred to because it is overused and their is only one "Big Three" dealing with Boston and that is Bird, McHale, and Parrish.
The Magic come out of the timeout on fire as Lewis converts a three-point play and Ariza nails a jumper from the corner giving the Magic an 82-71 lead.
Internet goes out again, and I am about as frustrated as the Boston Celtics right now. Boston strings together a couple of hoops and cuts the lead to 83-76 to end the third.
End of Third: Orlando Magic 83, Boston Celtics 76
SECOND QUARTER
Pierce knocks down a free-throw to start the quarter but Rashard answers with a nice turnaround shot in the lane. Pierce is starting to heat up with his ninth point cutting the Magic lead to 30-20.
The Magic get a couple trips to the line and maintain their ten point advantage at 34-24 with 9:26 left in the half.
The internet went out again, but I refuse to apologize on behalf of our wireless at this point because in perhaps the most entertaining, action packed game of the season, I am unable to give you accurate details as to what is going on.
The Magic are playing at a very high level tonight and showing a physical side I have not yet seen from them. Garnett and Howard get in a bit of a scuffle which causes both benches, the Amway crowd, and each coach to get up out of their seats.
Bogans nails a three which brings the house down and Boston is forced to call a timeout. Lewis gets a nice dunk but Rajon Rondo answers. The Celtics went over the foul limit early in this quarter and the Magic have been taking advantage by being aggressive at the offensive end. The Magic lead 50-39 with just under four minutes left in the half.
Jameer Nelson makes a great defensive play stripping Kevin Garnett which leads to a fast-break opportunity for Rashard, but he gets fouled on his way to the hoop. Lewis makes both free-throws and the Magic lead is 54-39 with just under three minutes to go in the second.
Boston comes into tonight's game leading the NBA in opponents field-goal percentage but the Magic are shooting extremely well to start the game at 54.8 percent. Dwight continues their good shooting by nailing a fadeaway from about 18 feet drawing a smile from his face. Boston turns over the ball as Orlando is frustrating the Celtics at both ends of the floor. Turkoglu gets an offensive rebound and then dishes nicely to an open Nelson under the hoop for two.
Rondo cuts the lead to 58-41 with under a minute left. The atmosphere and the intensity of this game is by far the best of the season. The half ends and the Amway crowd goes erupts with their Magic leading the Celtics 58-41.
FIRST QUARTER
Boston wins the opening tip tonight but can't convert on their first possession. Howard scores tonight's first points courtesy of a Garnett goal tend. Bogans follows with a transition bucket and the Magic are off to a great start leading 4-0. Allen and Garnett miss their first attempts but Pierce gets the Celtics on the scoreboard with an easy layup.
Howard gets a dunk and Bogans nails a triple from the corner forcing a Boston timeout with the Magic leading 9-2 three minutes into tonight's contest. The Magic continue to play hard at both ends of the floor and lead 13-7 with 5:42 left in the opening quarter.
I apologize for the non-descriptive first couple minutes but I guess our wireless network here decided it wasn't going to work on Sunday. The only other time this happened was against the Detroit Pistons, and much like that game, this game started out very fast and intense.
Nelson converts on two tough interior buckets and Dwight throws one down on a nice long feed from Rashard. Garnett answers quickly with a finger roll and the Magic lead 19-11.
The crowd at Amway Arena tonight is very loud, and the Magic are feeding off them playing very intense to start the ballgame. Howard's blocked shot results in a Lewis three-pointer giving Orlando a 22-13 advantage with just under three minutes left in the quarter.
The Magic lead is up to double digits as Trevor Ariza splits a pair from the free-throw line. Boston answers with two of their own and cuts the Magic lead to 23-15. James Augustine comes in for Howard to end the quarter and makes a great hustle play tipping in a Nelson miss. Turkoglu banks in a fadeaway but Tony Allen answers. Nelson misses a three at the top of the key ending a great first quarter for the Magic.
End of First: Orlando Magic 28, Boston Celtics 17
SHOOTAROUND
The Magic came to shootaround this morning at Amway Arena having won eight of their first ten games, good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference, as they prepare to face the Conference's first place team, the undefeated Boston Celtics.
As mentioned below, Boston features a new look team featuring three perennial all-stars in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
The Magic are well aware of Boston's firepower as Rashard Lewis spoke about some of the team's keys to tonight's game.
"They have a great big man and rebounder in Garnett and two great shooters in Allen and Pierce," Lewis stated, "so I think our main focus will be getting back on defense in order to protect the paint and close out hard on the perimeter."
Lewis also commented about Boston's top ranked defense, "They create a lot of turnovers and get a lot of steals leading to easy buckets but then they also have big guys who clog up the paint, so we have to come ready to play."
Although all of Boston's hype surrounds the Celtics' "Big Three", Coach Van Gundy credits their success to the entire Boston team.
"The one thing I think that is getting overlooked about Boston is the pieces they have put together around those three guys."
Van Gundy continued, "Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo are outstanding defenders then they add guys like James Posey and Eddie House who can shoot the ball and open up the floor."
Despite the game's implications, Van Gundy and the Magic are not treating the game as a measuring stick and are approaching the game no differently.
"I don't put a lot of stock in the measuring stick concept," stated Van Gundy. "This is one of 82 games and it's not like they are going to give us two wins because we beat an undefeated team, but if they did I would treat this game differently."
Measuring stick or not, the game should be extremely competitive producing a playoff-type atmosphere tonight inside Amway Arena.
PREGAME
Sunday's game at Amway Arena is a match-up between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference as the 8-2 Southeast Division leading Orlando Magic square off against the 8-0 Atlantic Division leading Boston Celtics.
The game also features two of the leagues top scoring trio's as Orlando's Dwight Howard (21.9), Rashard Lewis (20.7), and Hedo Turkoglu (18.4) face Boston's Paul Pierce (23.4), Kevin Garnett (21.0), and Ray Allen (20.6).
Orlando's trio has accounted for 60 percent of their team's scoring while Boston's "Big Three" has scored 62 percent of the Celtics' points.
Individually, Howard and Garnett are among the league's top five rebounders averaging 14.6 and 14.0 rebounds respectively.
Turkoglu is tallying career with his averages of 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, and Pierce is third in the Eastern Conference in points per game.
Furthermore, Lewis and Allen are among the league's best three-point shooters and will compete against each other for the first time since their departures from the Seattle Supersonics this off-season. They spent four and a half seasons together in Seattle and led the Sonics to a 50-32 record winning the Northwest Division in the 2004-2005 season.
These six dynamic players have led their respective teams to the top of almost every team statistical category. Each team is in the top ten in scoring, field-goal percentage, opponent field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, and assists per game.
NBA Team Stats (through 11/16/07):
Scoring
5th - Boston (104.3)
7th - Orlando (103.5)
Field-Goal Percentage
1st - Boston (.501)
10th - Orlando (.459)
Opponent Field-Goal Percentage
1st - Boston (.389)
6th - Orlando (.431)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage
3rd - Boston (.398)
4th - Orlando (.395)
Assists Per Game
4th - Boston (24.00)
8th - Orlando (22.33)
Sunday's match-up should be a good measuring stick for the Magic as they battle for early Eastern Conference supremacy.
MAGIC INJURY REPORT
Tony Battie – Out, torn rotator cuff, left shoulder – underwent successful surgery on Oct. 24; will likely miss the entire season.
Pat Garrity - Out, sprained ankle; Day-to-day.
J.J. Redick – Questionable, back spasms; Day-to-day.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Nov. 18 vs. Boston (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 33-39 all-time vs. Boston in regular season action (24-12 at home, 9-27 on the road), including 3-1 last season...The Magic are 3-1 vs. the Celtics in the playoffs (1-1 at home, 2-0 on the road, 1995 first round series)...The Magic have won six of the last eight matchups with the Celtics overall…Orlando has won four straight and seven of the last nine meetings at home...The Magic snapped an eight-game road losing streak in the series on Nov. 28, 2005 (87-83), but the Celtics have won 10 of the last 12 matchups in Boston…Orlando defeated Boston in the last game ever played at the Boston Garden, 95-92, on May 5, 1995...Tony Battie was with Boston for five-plus seasons (1998-2003) before being traded to Cleveland (Dec. 15, 2003)…Assistant Coach Steve Clifford coached at Boston University for four years…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Boston, see p. 235 of the media guide.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. CELTICS: 44 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Orlando, 1-16-04)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 46 pts., Larry Bird (@ Orlando, 3-16-90)
 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |  |
|
| CELTICS | 17 | 24 | 35 | 26 | 102 | ||
| MAGIC | 28 | 30 | 25 | 21 | 104 |
By Nick Adams | OrlandoMagic.com
RECAP
The Magic hand the Boston Celtics their first loss of the season as they hold on for a 104-102 victory at Amway Arena.
Orlando led by as much as 20 points but Boston fought back taking an 88-87 lead with 5:48 left. The Magic were able to regain the lead and hold on improving their record to 9-2.
All five Magic starters scored in double figures with Dwight Howard leading the way with 24 points. Paul Pierce led all scorers contributing 28 points in the losing effort.
Both teams shot well converting on over 50 percent of their field-goal attempts, but the Magic were able to force 20 Boston turnovers resulting in 22 Magic points.
The Magic face another tough opponent as they head back on the road to face the 9-2 New Orleans Hornets tomorrow night.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Magic start the fourth with two buckets but the Celtics answer back and cut the lead to 85-81 on a Tony Allen dunk three minutes into the final period.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the internet for taking tonight off, it has made my job a lot easier, and by easier I mean unbelievably difficult. Tonight has been a great game but I apologize for not being able report as well as I could.
Both teams pick up their defense and go scoreless for a couple of minutes but Howard heads to the line as KG picks up his fifth foul. Howard misses both and the Magic still cling to a 87-81 advantage with 6:46 remaining.
Boston gets a free-throw and a three from Eddie House and trail by only two. Posey nails a three giving Boston their first lead of the game at 88-87 with 5:48 left. The quiet Boston fans all of a sudden appear from the crowd and Scott Pollard, who hasn't seen the floor in five years, taunts the Amway Crowd. The Magic are forced to call a timeout.
Dwight splits a pair from the line tying the game at 88 as Garnett checks back into the game. Nelson gets fouled by House putting Boston over the limit and Nelson at the line where he makes both giving the Magic a two point lead.
Turkoglu nails a clutch three-pointer from the wing extending the Magic lead to five points at 93-88 with 4:49 to go. Boston coach Doc Rivers wants to talk things over and calls a timeout drawing everyone at Amway Arena to their feet.
Pierce comes out of the timeout and makes a bucket and then feeds Allen for a transition layup and the Magic lead is quickly cut to one. James Posey fouls out of the game as he knocks down Rashard Lewis attempting a three-pointer. Lewis makes two of three and the Magic lead 95-92 with 3:25 left.
Turkoglu brings the house down with a three-pointer from the top of the key but Garnett quiets the crowd briefly with two of his own. The Magic lead 98-94.
Howard splits a pair from the line and the Magic get called for a defensive three seconds at the other end. Allen can't convert on the free-throw but strokes a triple cutting the Magic lead to 99-97 at the two minute warning.
The Magic with a great defensive effort draw a three second call against Boston and control the ball with 1:28 left. Nelson draws a foul and heads to the line where he calmly nets both. Boston timeout with the Magic leading 101-97.
The Magic get a stop and control the ball inside of a minute but fail to convert giving Boston the ball. Allen is fouled and heads to the line with 54 seconds left. He makes both and the Magic lead 101-99. Nelson turns over the ball and Boston has two great looks at the basket but can't convert.
Magic get the ball and Lewis is fouled by Garnett who fouls out of the game. Lewis comes up big nailing both making it a two possession game with 15 seconds left. Boston calls a timeout and the Magic lead 103-99.
Allen strokes another three making the score 103-102 with 7.7 seconds left as the Magic call a timeout.
Rashard Lewis is fouled again and heads to the line for two where he splits the pair. Boston with the final shot which Paul Pierce takes a fadeaway three at the buzzer. He misses and the Magic win!
Final: Orlando Magic 104, Boston Celtics 102
THIRD QUARTER
Jameer Nelson starts the half with a jumper and Garnett counters with a fadeaway. Lewis continues the Magic's superb shooting netting a three from the top of the key. Rashard comes out aggressive in the second half as he takes the basketball to the hoop strong giving the Magic a 65-46 lead.
The teams trade buckets back and forth and the Magic lead 69-55 with 7:12 left in the third quarter. Orlando has held Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to just 14 points combined at this point. Dwight converts on a nice jump hook but Allen answers with two of his own. Dwight comes right back scoring his 21st point of the ballgame but the Celtics answer again this time with Garnett netting a fadeaway. The Magic lead 75-61 with 5:11 left in the third.
The Magic have definitely frustrated the Celtics tonight and you can see it in Boston's body expressions. Interesting match-up as the Magic have Trevor Ariza guarding Kevin Garnett and Ariza has done a great job on KG. Pierce converts a three-point play cutting the Magic lead to 75-64 with 3:45 left in the quarter. Pierce leads the Celtics and all scorers at this point with his 22 points. Garnett gets a pretty tip forcing a Magic timeout as they cling to a 77-69 lead.
I was told by the coaching staff before the game that the Magic would play a different type of defense forcing Celtic point guard Rajon Rondo to beat them. Rondo has scored 18 points but the Magic have done a great job against Boston's trio. I refuse to call them the "Big Three" as they are so often referred to because it is overused and their is only one "Big Three" dealing with Boston and that is Bird, McHale, and Parrish.
The Magic come out of the timeout on fire as Lewis converts a three-point play and Ariza nails a jumper from the corner giving the Magic an 82-71 lead.
Internet goes out again, and I am about as frustrated as the Boston Celtics right now. Boston strings together a couple of hoops and cuts the lead to 83-76 to end the third.
End of Third: Orlando Magic 83, Boston Celtics 76
SECOND QUARTER
Pierce knocks down a free-throw to start the quarter but Rashard answers with a nice turnaround shot in the lane. Pierce is starting to heat up with his ninth point cutting the Magic lead to 30-20.
The Magic get a couple trips to the line and maintain their ten point advantage at 34-24 with 9:26 left in the half.
The internet went out again, but I refuse to apologize on behalf of our wireless at this point because in perhaps the most entertaining, action packed game of the season, I am unable to give you accurate details as to what is going on.
The Magic are playing at a very high level tonight and showing a physical side I have not yet seen from them. Garnett and Howard get in a bit of a scuffle which causes both benches, the Amway crowd, and each coach to get up out of their seats.
Bogans nails a three which brings the house down and Boston is forced to call a timeout. Lewis gets a nice dunk but Rajon Rondo answers. The Celtics went over the foul limit early in this quarter and the Magic have been taking advantage by being aggressive at the offensive end. The Magic lead 50-39 with just under four minutes left in the half.
Jameer Nelson makes a great defensive play stripping Kevin Garnett which leads to a fast-break opportunity for Rashard, but he gets fouled on his way to the hoop. Lewis makes both free-throws and the Magic lead is 54-39 with just under three minutes to go in the second.
Boston comes into tonight's game leading the NBA in opponents field-goal percentage but the Magic are shooting extremely well to start the game at 54.8 percent. Dwight continues their good shooting by nailing a fadeaway from about 18 feet drawing a smile from his face. Boston turns over the ball as Orlando is frustrating the Celtics at both ends of the floor. Turkoglu gets an offensive rebound and then dishes nicely to an open Nelson under the hoop for two.
Rondo cuts the lead to 58-41 with under a minute left. The atmosphere and the intensity of this game is by far the best of the season. The half ends and the Amway crowd goes erupts with their Magic leading the Celtics 58-41.
FIRST QUARTER
Boston wins the opening tip tonight but can't convert on their first possession. Howard scores tonight's first points courtesy of a Garnett goal tend. Bogans follows with a transition bucket and the Magic are off to a great start leading 4-0. Allen and Garnett miss their first attempts but Pierce gets the Celtics on the scoreboard with an easy layup.
Howard gets a dunk and Bogans nails a triple from the corner forcing a Boston timeout with the Magic leading 9-2 three minutes into tonight's contest. The Magic continue to play hard at both ends of the floor and lead 13-7 with 5:42 left in the opening quarter.
I apologize for the non-descriptive first couple minutes but I guess our wireless network here decided it wasn't going to work on Sunday. The only other time this happened was against the Detroit Pistons, and much like that game, this game started out very fast and intense.
Nelson converts on two tough interior buckets and Dwight throws one down on a nice long feed from Rashard. Garnett answers quickly with a finger roll and the Magic lead 19-11.
The crowd at Amway Arena tonight is very loud, and the Magic are feeding off them playing very intense to start the ballgame. Howard's blocked shot results in a Lewis three-pointer giving Orlando a 22-13 advantage with just under three minutes left in the quarter.
The Magic lead is up to double digits as Trevor Ariza splits a pair from the free-throw line. Boston answers with two of their own and cuts the Magic lead to 23-15. James Augustine comes in for Howard to end the quarter and makes a great hustle play tipping in a Nelson miss. Turkoglu banks in a fadeaway but Tony Allen answers. Nelson misses a three at the top of the key ending a great first quarter for the Magic.
End of First: Orlando Magic 28, Boston Celtics 17
SHOOTAROUND
The Magic came to shootaround this morning at Amway Arena having won eight of their first ten games, good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference, as they prepare to face the Conference's first place team, the undefeated Boston Celtics.
As mentioned below, Boston features a new look team featuring three perennial all-stars in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
The Magic are well aware of Boston's firepower as Rashard Lewis spoke about some of the team's keys to tonight's game.
"They have a great big man and rebounder in Garnett and two great shooters in Allen and Pierce," Lewis stated, "so I think our main focus will be getting back on defense in order to protect the paint and close out hard on the perimeter."
Lewis also commented about Boston's top ranked defense, "They create a lot of turnovers and get a lot of steals leading to easy buckets but then they also have big guys who clog up the paint, so we have to come ready to play."
Although all of Boston's hype surrounds the Celtics' "Big Three", Coach Van Gundy credits their success to the entire Boston team.
"The one thing I think that is getting overlooked about Boston is the pieces they have put together around those three guys."
Van Gundy continued, "Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo are outstanding defenders then they add guys like James Posey and Eddie House who can shoot the ball and open up the floor."
Despite the game's implications, Van Gundy and the Magic are not treating the game as a measuring stick and are approaching the game no differently.
"I don't put a lot of stock in the measuring stick concept," stated Van Gundy. "This is one of 82 games and it's not like they are going to give us two wins because we beat an undefeated team, but if they did I would treat this game differently."
Measuring stick or not, the game should be extremely competitive producing a playoff-type atmosphere tonight inside Amway Arena.
PREGAME
Sunday's game at Amway Arena is a match-up between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference as the 8-2 Southeast Division leading Orlando Magic square off against the 8-0 Atlantic Division leading Boston Celtics.
The game also features two of the leagues top scoring trio's as Orlando's Dwight Howard (21.9), Rashard Lewis (20.7), and Hedo Turkoglu (18.4) face Boston's Paul Pierce (23.4), Kevin Garnett (21.0), and Ray Allen (20.6).
Orlando's trio has accounted for 60 percent of their team's scoring while Boston's "Big Three" has scored 62 percent of the Celtics' points.
Individually, Howard and Garnett are among the league's top five rebounders averaging 14.6 and 14.0 rebounds respectively.
Turkoglu is tallying career with his averages of 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, and Pierce is third in the Eastern Conference in points per game.
Furthermore, Lewis and Allen are among the league's best three-point shooters and will compete against each other for the first time since their departures from the Seattle Supersonics this off-season. They spent four and a half seasons together in Seattle and led the Sonics to a 50-32 record winning the Northwest Division in the 2004-2005 season.
These six dynamic players have led their respective teams to the top of almost every team statistical category. Each team is in the top ten in scoring, field-goal percentage, opponent field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, and assists per game.
NBA Team Stats (through 11/16/07):
Scoring
5th - Boston (104.3)
7th - Orlando (103.5)
Field-Goal Percentage
1st - Boston (.501)
10th - Orlando (.459)
Opponent Field-Goal Percentage
1st - Boston (.389)
6th - Orlando (.431)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage
3rd - Boston (.398)
4th - Orlando (.395)
Assists Per Game
4th - Boston (24.00)
8th - Orlando (22.33)
Sunday's match-up should be a good measuring stick for the Magic as they battle for early Eastern Conference supremacy.
MAGIC INJURY REPORT
Tony Battie – Out, torn rotator cuff, left shoulder – underwent successful surgery on Oct. 24; will likely miss the entire season.
Pat Garrity - Out, sprained ankle; Day-to-day.
J.J. Redick – Questionable, back spasms; Day-to-day.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Nov. 18 vs. Boston (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 33-39 all-time vs. Boston in regular season action (24-12 at home, 9-27 on the road), including 3-1 last season...The Magic are 3-1 vs. the Celtics in the playoffs (1-1 at home, 2-0 on the road, 1995 first round series)...The Magic have won six of the last eight matchups with the Celtics overall…Orlando has won four straight and seven of the last nine meetings at home...The Magic snapped an eight-game road losing streak in the series on Nov. 28, 2005 (87-83), but the Celtics have won 10 of the last 12 matchups in Boston…Orlando defeated Boston in the last game ever played at the Boston Garden, 95-92, on May 5, 1995...Tony Battie was with Boston for five-plus seasons (1998-2003) before being traded to Cleveland (Dec. 15, 2003)…Assistant Coach Steve Clifford coached at Boston University for four years…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Boston, see p. 235 of the media guide.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. CELTICS: 44 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Orlando, 1-16-04)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 46 pts., Larry Bird (@ Orlando, 3-16-90)
