The Boston Celtics were victorious against the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon by a final score 112-96. The Celtics never looked back in this one as they had control in this game for the entire duration, as a big third quarter propelled them to victory.
The Celtics were in control of this game from start to finish, by making big plays down the stretch getting stops on defense and running out in transition on the offensive end. This was a much needed win as they were struggling as of late and snap.
The Celtics came out firing in terms of scoring, shooting the ball extremely well. Shooting it at a clip of 45% from the field and 42% from behind the arch. Defense was a main focus for Brad Stevens and the Celtics as they only allowed 13 points in the third quarter alone while forcing the Magic to take poorly selected shots. They held the Magic to 32% from behind the arch.
The Celtics scored a season-high 23 three pointers during yesterday’s game, and 27 assists.
Another focus for Boston was sense of urgency In the fourth quarter, and they did just that as they brought their lead back to 15 and kept playing hard on the defensive end.
In terms of individual scoring the Celtics had four players score in double figures. Leading the way for Boston was Jaylen Brown with 34 points on 12-24 shooting. Tatum added 23 points on 7-13 shooting. Daniel Theis posted 13 points on 6-11 shooting and 11 rebounds. Kemba Walker also had 14 points on 5-11 shooting, and Marcus Smart had 11 points on 3-7 shooting as well.
This was a much needed win for the Celtics.
For the Magic they struggled to get anything going on offense, and struggled to get stops on defense. The Magic in the The Magic struggled in all phases of today’s game as they lacked shot making, getting stops in transition and closing out Boston’s shooters.
In terms of shooting the Magic shot 38% from the field and 32% from behind the arch. The Celtics defense was on point holding the Magic to under 40% from the field.
On the positive side for the Magic they had four players score in double figures. Leading the way for the Magic was Nikola Vucevic with 22 points on 9-20 shooting. Aaron Gordon added 12 points on 3-13 shooting and 6 rebounds. Evan Fournier added 16 points on 6-19 shooting. James Ennis posted 18 points on 5-6 shooting as well.
Takeaways/Final thoughts
- The Celtics played fantastic on the defensive end
- The Celtics shot the ball absolutely terrific
- The Ball movement by the Celtics was fantastic
- Daniel Theis continues to play fantastic
The Celtics will travel to Memphis as they take on the Grizzlies on Monday night at 9:00 as that is game one of a four game road trip.