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Orlando Magic (29-40) at Boston Celtics (40-30)
Monday, March 21, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #71, Home Game #36
TV: CSNNE, FSFL, NBA-LP 754(DTV), 753(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN 580 AM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Brandon Jennings
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs Victor Oladipo
Small Forward 
vs
Evan Turner vs Evan Fournier
Power Forward 
vs
Amir Johnson vs Aaron Gordon
Center
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Dewayne Dedmon
Reserves RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Coty Clarke
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
Marcus Smart
Tyler Zeller
Jordan Mickey
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesJae Crowder (ankle) out
Jonas Jerebko (ankle/Achilles) probable
Reserves Mario Hezonja
Devyn Marble
Shabazz Napier
Andrew Nicholson
Ersan Ilyasova
Elfrid Payton
Jason Smith
CJ Watson
Injuries Nikolas Vucevic (groin) questionable
Head CoachScott Skiles
Game Notes The Celtics return home from breaking their 4 game skid with a win over the Sixers to host the Orlando Magic. This is the 4th and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Magic lead the series 2-1, with each team winning on their home court. These two teams finished last season tied 2-2.
Both teams are playing on the second night of back to back games. The Celtics are coming off a win over the Sixers in Philadelphia while the Magic are coming off a loss to the Raptors in Toronto. The Celtics are 10-6 on the second night of back to backs and 5-2 when the games are Road/Home. The Magic are 4-11 on the second night of back to backs.
The Celtics may have won their last game but a win against the lowly Sixers doesn't prove much. The Magic may have a losing record and have lost 3 straight and 7 of their last 10, but they are far from a pushover. They came within 5 points of beating the Toronto Raptors who blew out the Celtics. The Celtics played fairly well against the Sixers but they are going to have to play even better to beat the Magic.
The Magic's starting center, Nikolas Vucevic has been out since March 7 and is listed as questionable with a groin injury. Elfrid Payton returned from an elbow injury to play against the Raptors and played just 16 minutes but should be available for this game. Jonas Jerebko is expected to return for the Celtics. Unfortunately, Jae Crowder is still out with the sprained ankle.
The Celtics remain in the 5th spot in the East, 1/2 game behind Miami (4) and 1 game behind Atlanta (3). The Celtics are 1/2 game ahead of Charlotte (6) and 3.5 games ahead of Indiana (7). Orlando is 12th in the east, 6.5 games out of the playoffs and 20.5 games ahead of the last place Sixers. Other games to keep an eye on are Spurs at Hornets, Philadelphia at Indiana, and Washington at Atlanta.
Key Matchups vs
Evan Turner vs Evan Fournier
Fournier has been a problem for the Celtics in their meetings so far. He scored 24 points in their last meeting, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. He finished with 21 against the Raptors on Sunday. He is averaging 14.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Turner is going to have to stay with Fournier to keep him from having another big game.
vs
Avery Bradley vs Victor Oladipo
Oladipo is averaging 15.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals a game. In the Magic's November win over the Celtics Oladipo led the Magic with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Avery's defense will be needed in this game to slow him down and keep him from having another big game. The Celtics also need Avery's offense to be on track in this game.
Honorable Mention Amir Johnson vs Aaron Gordon
Gordon is averaging 8.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He has been playing very well since the All Star break. In the last meeting between these two teams, he finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Amir had one of his best games as a Celtic on Sunday and hopefully he plays with the same intensity and effort in this game.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense wins games pure and simple. The Celtics' made it their priority to play tough team defense and at one time had a top 5 defense. They have let their defense slip on recent games and they must get back to playing that tough team defense. The Magic are averaging 100.9 points per game but they have players who, if allowed to get hot, can put up a lot of points quickly. Orlando is 5-22 when scoring less than 100 points and that illustrates how important defense is in this game.
Rebound - The Celtics have to crash the boards in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to prevent the Magic from getting second chance points and fast breaks. The Magic out rebounded the Celtics 54-34 and 50-41 in their two wins. The Celtics have to put out extra effort on the boards to prevent that from happening again.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team. They must be the first to loose balls and rebounds, and they have to be aggressive in driving to the basket and not always settling for jumpers. They must be aggressive on defense and set the tone for the game. They have to play like they want it more.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics have to move the ball and find the open man. But in moving the ball, they have to make careful passes and not get sloppy. The Magic average 17.6 points off of turnovers and so they will make the Celtics pay if they don't take care of the ball. Also, the Celtics are 2-12 when they have fewer than 20 assists. They have to play as a team and keep the ball moving to be at their best.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to get off to a good start and build a lead and then not let up until the final buzzer. They have to be ready for every Magic run and meet it with defense and then make their own runs. They have to play from opening tip till final buzzer with no let up.
Focus on Offense - The Celtics seemed to get their offense back on track against the Sixers, shooting 48.9% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to stay focused, move the ball and take the best shots. In their loss to the Magic on 1/31, the Celtics shot 46 three pointers and made just 16 of them. The 46 three pointers tied for the 3rd most in NBA history. The Celtics have the 3rd worst 3 point percentage in the league yet they take the 9th most 3 pointers. On the other hand, the Celtics are 7th in the league in points in the paint. If the 3 pointers aren't falling, the Celtics need to take the ball into the paint.
X-Factors Home Game - The Magic have traditionally played poorly at the Garden, having lost their last 10 games there. The Celtics have to draw on the energy of the home crowd and come out strong and play harder than the Magic to get the win.
Officiating - Officiating will be an X-Factor for every game. Every crew has their own way of calling the games and they have their own agendas. Will they call it fairly or in favor of one team or the other? Will they let them play or call every little contact? The way the game is called always has an effect on the players.
Topic: Magic (29-40) at Celtics (40-30) Game #71 3/21/16 (Read 24933 times)