Final: Magic 117, Celtics 109 - Road trip hangover hits Celtics hard

Game 30: Celtics (-13) vs. Orlando Magic, 7:30 p.m., TD Garden, NBCS Boston

Injuries: 

Boston: Danilo Gallinari 

Orlando: Wendell Carter, Jr. (foot), Gary Harris (hamstring), Jalen Suggs (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (knee), Chuma Okeke (knee)

Magic projected starters: Markelle Fultz, Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner, Bol Bol, Paolo Banchero

Refs: James Williams (#60), JB DeRosa (#22), Tyler Mirkovich (#97)

Last time they played: October 22 -- It was a classic good team on a back-to-back against a young-but-talented team. Jayson Tatum (40 on 14-21 shooting, 4-10 from 3, and 8-9 free throws) carried the team for three quarters, then Derrick White shut the door with one of his best games ever. He played well off Tatum’s gravity. There were a few plays where defenders were worried about Tatum and it opened White up to get to the rim. He shot 10-17 (5-9 3pt), on his way to a 27-point night. 

A little something about this game: The Magic are on a 4-game winning streak, beating the Clippers, Hawks, and Raptors twice, all at home. The Magic are nearly .500 at home (8-9) but they're an abysmal 1-11 on the road, which shows their youth. The Celtics are playing their first game back after a long road trip, usually a problematic game for teams. Robert Williams will return to the lineup, as will Al Horford. 

“We talked about that, but if you look at the NBA schedule, there’s always something,” Joe Mazzulla said before the game. “I don’t know if we can avoid it, but we have to have the mindset of like, it’s not about what that particular situation is. It’s how do we respond and what’s going to be our mindset towards the game and our environment. Next week it will be something else. … Not saying we’ll play well, but …”

How Boston wins: Force a bad Magic defense to make decisions by moving the ball and making cuts. Even if the cuts just collapse the defense, it will pull people out of position and opening up a lot of good looks.

Defensively, keep the Magic out of the paint. They're in the bottom third in the NBA in 3-point shooting, and they tend to settle for more on the road. 

How the Magic win: Markelle Fultz can put a lot of pressure on the Celtics defense by getting past the first line of perimeter defenders and finding opening teammates. He’s been playing well lately, and an opportunity to play on the parquet against a team that traded away the chance to draft him could be a little extra motivation. 

Things I’m looking for:

- Robert Williams’ return: He’s officially back. Mazzulla wouldn’t say how they’ll use Williams, or how many minutes he’ll play. 

“He hasn’t played in six months. And so it’s just making sure we don’t overuse him,” Mazzulla said. “We’ve just gotta manage his minutes, how he feels, how he’s playing. So it’s not necessarily a minutes restriction. It’s just more about how he’s doing during the game and then how he is after each game.”

That said, don’t expect him to play much. I’d be surprised to see him cross the 20 minute mark. 

- Fatigue: I do think the first game back from the trip is going to be a bit messy. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if it’s not. The key tonight is putting together enough good stretches to build a lead and hold the Magic off. 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.