Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 92-83 win over the Magic in quickie form.
Boxscore
HEADLINES
Defensive domination for three quarters: The Celtics didn’t have their usual offensive firepower with Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown still sidelined, but they made up for it on the defensive end. The visitors limited the Magic to just 52 points over the first three frames, which helped the Celtics open up a 24-point lead despite an off shooting night of their own (37 percent). With an oversized starting lineup that featured plenty of length at the two through five spots, the Magic couldn’t capitalize on open looks and found few of them all night, especially from the perimeter (15.8 percent from 3-point range). With the C’s clamping down on the defensive glass as well, this game was over by the fourth quarter.
Horford provides a needed spark in return: The All-Star had some ugly offensive possessions early in the game after returning from a two-game absence, but he played with great energy and purpose all night. The 31-year-old was one rebound short of a double-double (15 points, nine rebounds) in a balanced scoring performance from the green. Terry Rozier and Greg Monroe both had a game-high 17 points while Abdel Nader chipped in with some solid fourth quarter minutes to finish with a career-high 11 points. It wasn’t efficient offense, but it was enough to get the job done with the Orlando offense stalling for the first 36 minutes.
TURNING POINT
TWO UP
Shane Larkin:
The journeyman’s spot in the depth chart just got a major boost with Marcus Smart sidelined for the rest of the regular season, and he made the most of it on Friday night. The point guard was efficient in his 19 minutes of action, scoring 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, including a pair of big makes from downtown. With Smart out, he ran the second unit and managed to space the floor well in spot duty with the starting five.
Greg Monroe:
After a slow start to his career in green, the 6-foot-11 center has been on a tear of late around the basket. He anchored the second unit with 17 points on just eight field goal attempts (6-of-8 from field) and also shot a team-high eight free throws. He has scored in double figures five times in his last seven games and is now shooting 70 percent from the field over that stretch.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Morris:
He carried the Celtics offense a lot over the last few weeks but really struggled with his jumper against a pair of lengthy wing defenders in Jonathan Isaac and Jonathan Simmons. Morris scored nine points despite taking 15 field goal attempts and shot an ugly 1-of-5 from 3-point range.
The Celtics' fourth quarter:
The starters built enough of a lead (21) after three quarters where Brad Stevens would have loved to give veterans like Al Horford and Marcus Morris the rest of the night off. Instead, the second unit fell apart for much of the frame, turning the ball over a whopping nine times as the Magic slowly but surely trimmed the deficit into single digits. The game was never seriously in danger, but Stevens had to call in the cavalry midway through the frame to assure the C’s wouldn’t be facing disaster.
TOP PLAY
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Magic have injuries, but this core is awful:
It’s tough to knock a team too much when they are clearly tanking, but this is a franchise that is devoid of a promising future right now. Aaron Gordon is due a big payday this summer, and it’s unclear if he deserves one. Nikola Vucevic is a solid big man who doesn’t play defense. There are some younger intriguing pieces in Isaac and Simmons but no one that comes close to resembling a first or second offensive option. With bad contracts (Evan Fournier, Bismack Biyombo) clogging up their books as well, it’s hard to see this core climbing out of the basement of the East anytime soon.
Abdel Nader made a decent case for himself tonight:
With injuries piling up, the Celtics have to think long and hard about how each piece of their roster fits since Brad Stevens is going to need everyone situationally at some point during the postseason. Nader is still the low man on the totem pole when it comes to his roster security, but he showed some flashes of progress on Friday night. His 3-point shooting is solid when he’s open and even though his drives to the rim are an adventure, he managed to pull off some key defensive plays late to prevent the Magic from building up significant fourth-quarter momentum. He’s going to be needed until Jaylen Brown returns and the Celtics should feel less pressure about adding anyone else new to the mix after this performance.
