By John DentonJuly 12, 2013
ORLANDO -- Facing an Orlando Magic team that was resting prized rookie Victor Oladipo and two other starters, Boston hit seven first-half 3-pointers, built a lead as big as 29 points and cruised to a 102-83 victory.
The Celtics shot 60 percent most of the first half and led 61-36 at the intermission. Four different Celtics reserves hit 3-pointers in the first half as Boston easily pulled away from a Magic team that often had as many as four free-agent signees on the floor.
Boston (3-2) finished seventh in the 10-team league, while the Magic were eighth.
Orlando played much better defense after halftime, outscoring the Celtics 26-17 in the third period to get as close as 14 points of the lead. The Magic made another charge in the fourth to get as close as 86-74 before Boston pulled away again.
Kelly Olynyk, the 13th pick of the NBA Draft, wrapped up an impressive first week with the Celtics by scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 15 minutes. Tony Mitchell added 14 points for the Celtics.
DeQuan Jones, who averaged 3.7 points in 63 games last season for the Magic as a rookie, scored 15 points in his bid to earn another invite to training camp. Jones, who was three of four from 3-point range, made the Magic’s roster last season by playing well in the summer league after not being drafted.
A.J. Slaughter, who is hoping for an invite to Orlando’s training camp, led the Magic with 25 points and nine assists.
Orlando rested No. 2 pick Oladipo, the star of Thursday’s defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers with a game-winning shot in the final seconds. In four games of the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League, Oladipo averaged 19 points, five assists, 4.3 rebounds and three steals a game. He shot just 37.5 percent from the floor, but did make seven of 13 (53.8 percent) from beyond the 3-point line. One negative was his 19 turnovers while attempting to make the transition from NBA star shooting guard to NBA point guard.
Orlando also rested forward Maurice Harkless and center Kyle O’Quinn after playing four games in five days. Harkless, who finished last season strong, averaged 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the week, while O’Quinn grabbed a team-best 8.5 rebounds in the four games.