Celtics at Magic
THE STORY: Superman was in the building at the TD Garden in Boston on Monday night, but the Orlando Magic played as if they were fielding a roster of Clark Kents in a humiliating loss to the Celtics. Orlando set a franchise low for points in the 87-56 defeat to Boston, scoring only 10 points in each of the last two quarters. That the Celtics were missing their starting backcourt of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen as well as top reserve Mickael Pietrus made the lopsided outcome even more shocking. Superstar center Dwight Howard and the Magic managed to bounce back from that woeful performance by handing Indiana its first home loss of the season Tuesday, and now will seek revenge when they host the Celtics on Thursday night. “That's the great thing about the NBA. A bad game doesn't have time to linger very long,” Orlando forward Quentin Richardson said.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE CELTICS (7-9): With Allen and Rondo sidelined, Paul Pierce has carried the offensive burden. He scored a season-high 34 points in Sunday’s win at Washington and netted 19 points against Orlando one night later. Pierce missed almost all of training camp and the first three games of the season with a bruised heel. Backup PG Avery Bradley is not much of a scoring threat, but he’s had a pair of three-steal games in the absence of Rondo, who could be a game-time decision.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (12-5): With free agency awaiting him, Howard is likely playing out his last season with Orlando. He scored 14 points against the Pacers to become the all-time franchise leader with 10,657 career points. The Magic will honor his achievement during a ceremony Thursday night. Howard came up one rebound shy of a fifth straight double-double Tuesday, but he leads the league in rebounding at 15.6 per game, including six games with at least 20 boards.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The magic number for Orlando is 90 points. When the team reaches that mark it is 12-0. Failing to score 90 has resulted in an 0-5 record.
2. Celtics F Brandon Bass had 19 points and eight rebounds against his former team Monday. He was acquired in a trade that sent Glen “Big Baby” Davis to Orlando.
3. Allen (ankle) and Pietrus (shoulder) have already been ruled out against the Magic.