Celtics defeat Magic; Win streak at 2

The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 91 to 89 in a hotly contested game from the tip off. The Celtics battled from behind for the entire first half until taking the lead in the early 3rd quarter. The Magic kept it competitive all night with clutch plays from Jason Maxiell, Nikola Vučević, and rookie Victor Oladipo.

Brandon Bass led the team with 16 points and 7 rebounds while Jeff Green chipped in with 10 points. This win was the definition of "team effort." Courtney Lee's 2nd quarter performance, Jared Sullinger's work off the bench, and a surprisingly effective tandem of Jordan Crawford and Avery Bradley impressed on both sides of the ball. Bradley is starting to look at lot more like the Avery of 2012 now that he is back at the shooting guard position. It's showing in his game as well; Bradley was a high contributor with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block.

Coming into the game at 3-2, the Magic are no pushover in the Eastern Conference. Coming off of a great performance that saw them defeat Doc Rivers' Clippers, they played a hard fought game against an aggressive Boston team. The Celtics left Orlando with a W because the Celtics played on the same page all game. They weren't without mistakes and turnovers, but unlike the first few games of the season, these mistakes didn't pile up or derail the team. Believe it or not, they're starting to look like a team that could win a few games during this rebuilding period.

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The next game for Boston will be tomorrow night, November 9th, in Miami against LeBron James & the Heat.

Follow Padraic O'Connor on Twitter @padraic_oconnor