Fresh off of their win against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics returned home Wednesday evening and faced off against an Orlando Magic team whose record betrays them. The Magic have lost multiple games by five points or less, and they have solid, young talent, including Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris.
Boston and Orlando both came out a little sloppy, missing shots and turning the ball over on easy passes. By the end of the first quarter the score was 28-29, with Boston in the lead. It was Nikola Vucevic who put in a great effort for the Magic on the night. The big man had 18 points and 13 rebounds in the game, although he was a minus-15 whilst on the floor.
The second quarter was just as tight, with the Magic being outscored, 27-25. Boston's big man Kelly Olynyk continued his hot streak by pouring in 15 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action off the bench. Orlando's stud second-year guard was quiet in this one, only scoring seven points in 32 minutes of action.
At the half the score was 53-56 with Boston in front once again. Once the third quarter came around, it seemed as though this was going to be a hard fought game until the last minute. Boston outscored Orlando by only two points in the third, 22-20. Tobias Harris of the Magic had 17 points to aid his team, however, he was a minus-13 on Wednesday night.
As the fourth quarter rolled around, it was looking like either team could take the win. Boston's point guard Rajon Rondo, who only scored four points, had a whopping 15 assists to help his team's offensive flow. Backup guard Phil Pressey came in to relieve Rondo throughout the game and did an admirable job in running the offense.
The fourth quarter started to unravel, as did the Orlando Magic. Boston outscored the Magic, 31-19, in the quarter and ultimately took the game, 109-92. Orlando had 12 turnovers, while Boston had 14 turnovers. Neither team shot very well from behind the three-point arc, with Orlando at a lowly 26 percent, and Boston a mere 37 percent.
Both teams play Friday, December 19th, with Orlando visiting the Utah Jazz and Boston welcoming rookie Andrew Wiggins for the first time this season.