Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 118-103 win over the Magic in quickie form.
HEADLINES
Offensive explosion for Boston: The Magic didn’t have much interest in playing defense from the opening tip and the C’s took advantage immediately. They scored season-high points totals for the first quarter (40) and first half (73), shooting lights out from the field (57.1 percent) and 3-point range (52.4 percent) to put the Magic away before halftime even hit.
Career-night for Terry Rozier: Marcus Smart had been getting most of the headlines for his woeful bench offense, but Rozier had been just as bad in his last few games (6-of-29 from field). That changed in a big way on Friday night. The third-year guard erupted for a career-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 13 points in the first half. The outburst helped to sustain Boston’s best offensive half of the year.
Home domination over Orlando continues: The Magic dropped their 14th consecutive regular season game at the TD Garden, dating back to February 2010.
TURNING POINT
The hosts broke up the game in the final three minutes of the first quarter, turning a 24-20 lead into a double-digit edge with a 16-6 run to close the frame. The Celtics were red-hot in the frame overall, scoring 40 points on 68 percent shooting from the field and 58 percent shooting from 3-point range. Orlando never got the C’s lead below 12 the rest of the way
TWO UP
Kyrie Irving: The All-Star was simply toying with the Magic defense for the better part of his 25 minutes on the floor. He drove the lane with ease, got wide open looks against lackluster Orlando defense on the perimeter and attacked the basket efficiently as well, finishing the game shooting 9-of-15 from the field and 10-of-10 from the free throw line. He scored 30 points in all and is averaging an MVP-like 32.5 ppg in his last four games.
https://twitter.com/celtics/status/934241638616051713
Jayson Tatum: Rozier could be here too but the No. 3 overall pick deserves some love as well. The 19-year-old rookie continues to be not just one of the most efficient players on the Celtics roster, but one of the most efficient scorers in the game. He scored just 11 points on the night, but boosted his 3-point shooting percentage to 50 percent after going 3-of-4 from downtown, putting him in the top-10 in that category for the NBA.
TWO DOWN
The all-bench unit on offense late: Brad Stevens went with the Smart/Rozier/Ojeleye/Yabusele/Baynes lineup at the start of the fourth quarter in a 30-point game and they proceeded to give up a 13-3 run to the lowly Magic in the first four minutes of the frame. Marcus Morris re-entered the game to help stabilize the offense.
The Magic: Remember when they were battling with the Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference for a few days earlier this month after a 6-2 start? Those days are long gone. The schedule has been rough but the Magic have lost seven straight games and are freefalling down the standings in the East. They are currently out of the playoff picture with an 8-11 record.
INJURIES
None
TOP PLAY
Kyrie Irving ladies and gentleman. pic.twitter.com/VnkTsWv4f8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 25, 2017