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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2019 14:40:04 GMT -5
What to watch for as the Boston Celtics visit the Orlando Magic by CelticsWC
The Celtics hope to bounce back from a disappointing loss in Miami as they travel to Orlando to face the Magic. Here’s what to watch for on Saturday night.
As we’ve noted here on this site, the Celtics had a chance to prove to us and the rest of the NBA they were finally living up to their lofty preseason expectations. Coming off a big win over the Pacers on the second night of a back-to-back, Boston fell to a scrappy Heat team, highlighting their struggles to find consistent effort.
The Celtics can either get back on the right track with a win over the Magic, a team that beat them 93-90 in October, or continue to fall victim to inconsistency.
Tale of the tape
Orlando is 17-24 on the year, currently placing them 10th in the Eastern Conference and 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. They have lost four straight and are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
The Celtics are 25-16, sitting in the fifth seed and five games out of first place. They’ve won seven of their last 10 games, including a four game win streak that ended Thursday.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Response from Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown had a rough night in Miami. He only managed two points on 1-of-5 shooting, and he got into an argument with Marcus Morris that led Morris to shove him.
Brown has had a strong stretch of play since going to the bench, so we’ll see if he responds to Thursday by delivering a big game or lets the altercation get to him. I’d lean more towards the former, but it’s definitely something to look out for.
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Containing Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic is having a career year for the Magic. He is posting career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
Vucevic was a major problem for the Celtics last time these two teams squared off. He tallied 24 points and 12 rebounds while going 11-18 from the field. He had too easy a time off the pick and roll in October, so look for the Celtics to sure up their defensive game plan around him.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Defensive effort
Aside from a few spectacular defensive plays by Marcus Smart, the Celtics did not play a great defensive game Thursday night. The Heat hit a season-high 18 threes and shot 46 percent from deep. Boston turned up the pressure during their third quarter comeback, but their lackadaisical effort early in the game let Miami get in a rhythm.
The Celtics still own the fourth best defensive rating in the NBA, so if they make their presence known early, this game should be relatively easy for them. It’s just a matter of them getting up for this one and playing hard.
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Post by cole on Jan 12, 2019 18:07:39 GMT -5
Sports bar in Amarillo. Waiting for tournament. Chiefs by 17. So far so good.
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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2019 18:11:10 GMT -5
Colts shut out ... don't think anyone was expecting that!
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Post by cole on Jan 12, 2019 18:14:53 GMT -5
Surely not me.
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Post by fierce on Jan 12, 2019 18:21:31 GMT -5
Hopefully the Cowboys-Rams will be more interesting.
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Post by cole on Jan 12, 2019 18:37:32 GMT -5
I hope this one remains boring
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Post by fierce on Jan 12, 2019 18:39:49 GMT -5
I hope this one remains boring It will. The hole Indy is in right now is just too deep.
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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2019 18:40:47 GMT -5
Preview: Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic Game #42 The Celtics look to bounce back as they take on the Orlando Magic. By flceltsfan
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Boston Celtics (25-16) at Orlando Magic (17-24) Saturday, January 12, 2019 7:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #42, Road Game #22 TV: NBC Sports Boston, FSFL, NBA-LP 754(DTV), 751(xfinity) Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 96.9 The Game Amway Center Referees: James Williams, Ben Taylor, Natalie Sago
The Celtics continue on their trip through the state of Florida with a stop in Orlando to take on the Magic. This is the second of three meetings this season between these two teams. The Magic beat the Celtics 93-90 on October 22 in Boston. They will play one more time in Boston on April 7.
The Magic are 48-64 all time vs the Celtics. They are 34-21 all time playing the Celtics in Orlando. The Magic have won 5 of their last 8 games against the Celtics in Orlando. These two teams will forever be linked in Celtics history. The Magic beat the Celtics 95-92 on May 5, 1995, in the very last game played in the old Boston Garden before the Celtics moved to the TD Garden and the old Garden was demolished.
The Celtics are playing in their 3rd game in 4 nights and the second of a 3 game road trip. After playing the Pacers and Heat back to back, the Celtics had one day off to regroup. The Celtics are 5th in the East, 5.5 games behind the Raptors and 1 game behind the Sixers. They are 10-11 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The Magic are 11th in the East and 8 games behind the Celtics. They are 4.5 games ahead of the 13th place Atlanta Hawks. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have lost their last 4 games. The Magic have been off since losing to the Jazz on Friday.
The Celtics will once again be without Aron Baynes (hand) but he may be back as soon as next week. Jabari Bird (personal) remains out as well. Mo Bamba is questionable for the Magic with a foot injury. Timofey Mozgov is listed as out with a knee injury.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Al Horford
Celtics Reserves
Semi Ojeleye Daniel Theis Brad Wanamaker Guerschon Yabusele Gordon Hayward Jaylen Brown Robert Williams Terry Rozier
Injuries
Jabari Bird (personal) out Aron Baynes (hand) out
Two Way Players
PJ Dozier RJ Hunter
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Probable Magic Starters
PG: D.J. Augustin
SG: Evan Fournier
SF: Jonathan Isaac
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Vucevic
Magic Reserves
Khem Birch Isaiah Briscoe Melvin Frazier Jerian Grant Wes Iwundu Jarell Martin Terrence Ross Jonathon Simmons
Injuries
Mo Bamba (foot) questionable Timofey Mozgov (knee) out
Two Way Players
Troy Caupain Amile Jefferson
Head Coach
Steve Clifford
Key Matchups
Al Horford
vs
Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is probably the Magic’s best player. He is averaging 20.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 blocks. Vucevic had 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Celtics loss to the Magic in October. Al struggled against the Heat on Thursday and hopefully he get it together for this game as his defense will especially be needed to slow Vucevic down. If he struggles again, we may see the Time Lord given a chance to cover him.
Marcus Morris
vs
Aaron Gordon
Gordon is playing well this season, averaging 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. Marcus has been one of the most consistent players for the Celtics on both ends of the court this season. He needs to continue to be a force on the offensive end while also keeping Gordon from having a big game.
Honorable Mention
Marcus Smart vs Evan Fournier
Fournier has put up some big games against the Celtics in the past. He is averaging 15.0 points, 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds this season. Smart needs to continue his strong play on the defensive end to slow Fournier down in this game.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense wins games, pure and simple. The Magic are averaging 103 points per game, which is 27th in the league. Boston is averaging just 112.1 points per game. Orlando ranks 13th with a defensive rating of 108.4. The Celtics have dropped to 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 104.5. Tough defense will win 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 are averaging 43.1 rebounds per game. The Celtics are averaging 45.0 rebounds per game. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics need to give extra effort to beat the Magic to the boards.
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. When they allow other teams to work harder than them, it doesn’t usually end well as we saw on Thursday in Miami.
Move the Ball - The Celtics dominated teams during their 4 game win streak by moving the ball and racking up 30+ assists per game. They reverted back to too much hero ball against the Heat and had just 20 assists. They need to get back to moving the ball, making the extra pass and finding the open man.
Don’t Underestimate the Magic - The Celtics were surprised by the Magic in their last game in Boston and they underestimated them somewhat and allowed the Magic to get a 93-90 win on the Celtics home court. They tend to give less than their best effort against teams in the lower half of the standings and get beat. The Magic have already beaten the Celtics, Spurs and the Raptors and so they aren’t a team to be taken lightly. They need to play the Magic as if they were at the top of the league because the Magic are certainly going to give their best to try to beat the Celtics.
X-Factors
Focus On the Road - The Celtics are on the road and they have to focus on the game at hand and not the hostile crowd or the other distractions that a team faces when on the road. They need to be able to block all that out and focus on playing basketball.
Revenge Factor - The Magic came into the Garden and beat the Celtics on their home court. The Celtics also were strongly criticized by the TNT broadcast crew after Thursday’s loss to the Heat. They need to take the previous loss to the Magic and the recent criticism and use those to motivate them to play a strong game vs the Magic.
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Post by Admin on Jan 12, 2019 18:43:26 GMT -5
Can't wait to see my hoped for PF & C of the future: Isaac & Bamba!
I may make Orlando my 2nd team ... at least when I'm in Florida.
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Post by fierce on Jan 12, 2019 18:51:16 GMT -5
Luck goes down again.
Celts game about to start.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:11:00 GMT -5
Guess I'll have to deal with the Orlando broadcast of the game. Wonderful...
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:11:52 GMT -5
Issac torched Horford in the last meeting.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:12:25 GMT -5
Early foul on A. Gordon.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:13:17 GMT -5
Morris for 3
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:13:47 GMT -5
2 fouls on A. Gordon already. Nice.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:14:15 GMT -5
Issac fouls Morris.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:15:26 GMT -5
Morris misses both. Gordon gets the putback cause Tatum doesn't box out.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:16:55 GMT -5
Smart for 3
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:17:25 GMT -5
C's offense, all 3 balls.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:18:15 GMT -5
Horford hits a jumper in the lane.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:20:05 GMT -5
Irving a nice step back jumper. Tatum with the block on the other end. Boston has some fans in the house tonight.
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:20:28 GMT -5
Tatum all jumpers, and can't find the net.
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Post by kivancb on Jan 12, 2019 19:23:19 GMT -5
Horford easily winning the battle against Vuc till now
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Post by drboogiebone on Jan 12, 2019 19:25:04 GMT -5
Turnover Horford.
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Post by kivancb on Jan 12, 2019 19:26:46 GMT -5
That was my bad, jinxing him :/
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