Final: Celtics 104, Magic 88

GAME: No. 10 of 82
WHO: Celtics (7-2) vs. Magic (6-3)
WHEN:  6:00 EST
WHERE:  Amway Arena
RADIO: 98.5 the Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
BOX SCORE: NBA.COM

Starting Lineups:

Celtics
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Al Horford

 

Magic

PG: Jonathan Simmons
SG: Evan Fournier
SF: Terrence Ross
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Vucevic

Inactive list: D.J. Augustin (hamstring) and Adrian Payne (knee) are out. Elfrid Payton (hamstring) is also out.

THIRD QUARTER ANALYSIS

• Magic outscored Celtics 31-28 and their offense found some rhythm makes to some productivity at the free throw line (31-28)


• Big quarter from Jaylen Brown who found a lot of opportunity in transition. He's up to a game-high 18 points.


• Not any major runs for either team as the Celtics maintained their lead between 5-10 points all quarter long.


• Semi Ojeleye continues to be impressive on both ends of the floor, hitting a 3 and delivering a corner 3.

• What a quarter for Marcus Smart. After a slow shooting start, he was everywhere in the first half of the frame, giving the Celtics a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor. 6 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in just 13 minutes.


• Offense really started to stabilize around the nine-minute mark as the C's jumped out to an 18-4 run thanks to some timely offense from the likes of Morris, Tatum and Irving.


• On the flip side, Magic were very out of sorts without their starting point guard (D.J. Augustin) at the helm. Not a lot of ball movement and plenty of missed open looks lead to 33 percent shooting for the team. Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac have had a few nice finishes, but big contributors like Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic have stayed quiet.


• Magic are the best shooting team from 3 in the NBA this season (42 percent), but they managed just 23 percent shooting from downtown (3-of-13) in the first half.

• The Celtics came out in this game offensively looking like they partied a little bit too hard in Orlando last night. Limited ball movement and ugly shooting produced a 2-of-10 start and just six points in the first six minutes.


• Luckily, the defense was still functioning at a high level, so it was a bit of a rock fight to start between the two teams in the single digits.


• Eventually, Al Horford and Kyrie Irving got some nice two-man game going, with Horford finishing with nine of Boston's 22 points on the period. He hit a pair of 3-pointers as well, pushing his season average to an incredible 50 percent


• Lots of unsuccessful postups early by the new look starting lineup and it didn't go very well, as evidenced by the shooting numbers


• Early minutes for Semi Ojeleye over Aron Baynes to help the Celtics' guard the 3-point line.


• Some nice defense from Jaylen Brown, but also a couple foolish passes coming on a fast break that didn't give C's a chance.

• The Celtics will be going for their eighth straight win in Orlando, which would qualify as the longest winning streak of the Brad Stevens era in Boston. The 7-2 start this year is the best start for the team since the Big Three era.


• The Magic dropped out of the top spot in the East after a home beatdown at the hands of the Bulls on Friday night. They won't getting some reinforcements in the form of Elfrid Payton, who has missed the last couple weeks with a hamstring strain. He practiced yesterday but was ruled out by Frank Vogel. One-time Butler Bulldog Shelvin Mack likely will get plenty of the bench, but the Magic will go big by starting swingman Jonathan Simmons at point guard.


• The guess here is that Marcus Morris plays tonight. Orlando just has a lot more firepower than the Hawks at this point and he's a good defensive match for a guy like Aaron Gordon. Update: Morris will play and start at power forward. Baynes to the bench


• Celtics will need to be very disciplined defending the 3-point arc on Sunday night. Orlando is the top team in the league in 3-point accuracy, knocking down a sensational 42 percent of their attempts from deep. Boston is fifth in 3-point defense, which should make for a good battle.