Celtics defeat Magic 138-129 in a high scoring affair
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The first half was one of the most dominant offensive halves in franchise history, scoring 80 points on 64% shooting from the floor and 53% from three. They played smart and carefully with the ball, committing just two turnovers, while also generating efficient shots, racking up 20 assists.
In the 2nd quarter, they scored 48 points on nearly perfect shooting. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard were excellent as usual, but the bench unit provided a huge boost, with Anfernee Simons and Josh Minott combining for 28 points on 11/13 shooting.
On defense, they held the Magic to just 57 points on 41% shooting from the field and 27% from three. The biggest reason the Magic were still in the game was once again free throws, shooting 19 in the first half.
In the second half, the game was much more competitive, with the Magic winning the half 72-58. The 3rd quarter was even throughout, with both teams having very good offensive quarters.
In the 4th quarter, the Magic bench unit was able to cut the lead down all the way down to just 8 points. Jett Howard and Jase Richardson went ballistic, scoring 36 of the team's 40 points.
While the Celtics played a good quarter on offense, scoring 28 points on 55% shooting from the floor, they simply took fewer shots, shooting 18 to the Magic's 27. The biggest reason for this is the Magic grabbing 6 offensive rebounds for 9 second-chance points.
With Neemias Queta leaving the game in the first quarter, the Celtics paint presence at the center position was nonexistent, leading to the Magic getting easy offensive rebounds down the stretch.
Luckily, after the Magic cut the lead down to 11 with the score at 121-110, Jaylen Brown scored 12 straight points to hold off a late Magic comeback and give the Celtics a much-needed win, getting back above .500 with a 9-8 record.
The good
Offensively, they were as close to perfect as it gets in the NBA. They scored consistently inside the arc with 64 points in the paint along with 17 made free throws, and outside the arc, shooting 15-33 from three-point range.
The bench unit was as good as you could ask for, combining 57 points, just 6 less points than the Magic's starting lineup. After a rough shooting slump spanning the entire month of November, Sam Hauser returned to form, scoring 14 points and shooting 4-7 from three.
Josh Minott came off the bench for the 5th game in a row after starting 9 straight games. His minutes were decreasing with each game, and he was quickly falling towards the bottom of the rotation. Against the Magic, he made another case for himself, scoring 16 points on 7-8 shooting from the floor.
The bad
The second-half defense was bad, allowing 72 points, but the fourth-quarter defense was particularly atrocious and if not for Jaylen Brown's heroics, could have cost them another game. Two players who combine to average just 15 minutes per game scored 36 points in the fourth. With three of the Magic's best players all not playing, allowing 129 points as the 2nd-ranked defense is greatly disappointing.
Chris Boucher did next to nothing in his 14 minutes, scoring just 1 point and grabbing 1 rebound. With Luka Garza not playing and Neemias Queta getting hurt early, Boucher was the next man up, and he did not capitalize on his opportunity. Without Neemias Queta, the Celtics center room is extremely shaky.
Because of the lack of size in the paint, the Magic were able to grab 18 offensive rebounds for 21 second-chance points. Despite shooting considerably worse from the floor and three, they managed to take 12 more shots than the Celtics because of offensive rebounding.
The other reason Orlando continued to hang around was free throws, shooting 24 for the game. Contesting without fouling has been a problem for the Celtics all season. Combine this with poor defensive rebounding ,and it leads to the type of losses the Celtics have had this season.
Conclusion
This was a very encouraging game offensively. The bench unit and starters all played cohesively, and it led to a prolific scoring night. On defense, they left a lot of room to be desired in the second half without Neemias Queta but still found a way to win.
On Wednesday they will host the number 1 seeded Detroit Pistons in a game that will be a huge test. A win would make a huge statement across the league, and a loss would put them back .500 once again.
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