Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight at TD Garden.
Remember when the Magic were overachieving youngsters who were bound for the playoffs this season? Yeah, that scenario, which existed through the end of December, has absolutely vanished.
The Orlando Magic have been the worst team in the NBA during 2016. Literally. Orlando has only one win during the calendar year, which is three fewer than the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Magic stumble into Boston having lost 11 of their last 12 games. The only team they have beaten during that stretch is Brooklyn, way back on Jan. 8.
Positivity may not be abound for the Magic, but it sure is for the Celtics. They’ve had a heck of a week both on and off the court.
Boston has won four straight to up its record to 26-21 on the season. It also received great news both Wednesday and Thursday.
First, the NBA announced Wednesday afternoon that Marcus Smart was chosen to play for the US Team in the Rising Stars Challenge. He was chosen over many other quality players, such as Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Lakers forward Julius Randle.
Next, the world learned Thursday night that Isaiah Thomas had become an All-Star for the very first time. Coaches voted him in as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad, and that news was announced on a special on TNT.
Clearly, it’s been a good week for the Celtics. The team should carry nothing but positivity into tonight’s game.
It should be noted that Orlando handled Boston with ease when these teams met two months ago. That was back when the Magic were overachieving.
Orlando won that game by a count of 110-91. The Magic limited the Celtics to just 40.9 percent shooting from the field and a woeful 5-for-27 performance from long range. More troubling was the final tally in the rebounding department, where the Magic dominated with a 54-34 edge.
Four of Orlando’s players grabbed at least eight boards that night, led by 11 from Tobias Harris and 10 from Nikola Vucevic. If the Celtics are going to win this game, they’re going to need to compete at a much higher level on the glass, and particularly against Orlando’s starting frontcourt.
We’ve already told you about how the Magic have fallen off the cliff this month. Now it’s time to tell you why.
Orlando’s offense has been incredibly poor during January, to the tune of just 93.0 points per game. This is comparing apples to oranges, but Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game by himself once before. The Magic are scoring 93 points as a team on a nightly basis.
This scoring issue appears to be self-inflicted by the team. Orlando has chosen to play its young and raw players over its more developed players. For instance, Aaron Gordon, a very limited offensive player, is now in the starting lineup. There is really no high-level shooter in the starting lineup right now, as Evan Fournier (38.3 percent from 3) and Channing Frye (41.4 percent from 3) have both been relegated to the bench. Victor Oladipo has shot it well this month, but his season and career averages indicate that his recent stretch is an anomaly.
Let’s hope that the Celtics and Magic like each other. They’ll be following each other around all weekend.
Tonight’s contest marks the front end of a home-and-home set between these two teams. They’ll tip off at 7:30 p.m. tonight, have a Saturday in Orlando, then face off yet again at 6 p.m. Sunday night at the Amway Center.
This weekend will mark the third and final home-and-home set that the Celtics will play this season. They split each of the first two sets, each played against Brooklyn.
