Celtics at Magic
The Orlando Magic have recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since the opening two games of the campaign and strive to notch another victory when they host the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday to improve to 2-0 on a season-high, five-game homestand. Boston snapped a two-game losing streak with a solid victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. The Celtics are 3-3 on the road this season.
Boston point guard Rajon Rondo has 36 consecutive double-digit assist games and can tie John Stockton (1989) for the second-longest streak in NBA history. Magic Johnson holds the record of 46 in 1983-84. Orlando’s Jameer Nelson had a season-high 22 points in an all-around solid performance against Cleveland. Nelson made four 3-pointers and also had six rebounds and six assists. The Magic committed just two second-half turnovers against the Cavaliers after having 16 miscues in the first half.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN (Boston), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (7-6): Forward Kevin Garnett was a force in the final quarter of the victory over Oklahoma City when he tallied 12 of his 18 points and collected four of his nine rebounds. Garnett might be 36-years old, but he was the most energetic player on the court during the stanza. He fell just two points shy of matching his season-high scoring output and played 32 minutes, his second-highest amount of action. Garnett is averaging 18.2 points and 11.6 rebounds in 37 career games against Orlando.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (5-7): Forward Glen Davis has six double-doubles and would certainly love to notch one against his former club. He averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in three games against Boston last season in his first campaign in Orlando. Davis is averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds after averaging just 9.3 and 5.4, respectively, last season. “I don’t care how many points I have or rebounds I have,” Davis said. “It’s not about stats – it’s about winning ballgames. It’s about doing what you need to do to win a game.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Boston swept last season’s three meetings, but the Magic have won nine of the past 12 games played in Orlando.
2. Celtics F Paul Pierce has seven 20-point outings after matching a season best with 27 points against Oklahoma City.
3. Magic G Arron Afflalo drained a season-high four 3-pointers against Cleveland after being just 6-of-22 from behind the arc over the previous eight games.