Celtics at Magic
A pair of teams headed in opposite directions meet for the second time in three days when the surging Boston Celtics visit the Orlando Magic on Sunday. The Celtics pulled away for a 113-94 win over the Magic at home on Friday night, running their winning streak to a season-high five and handing Orlando its eight consecutive loss.
"They're playing at a level like we were five to six weeks ago," Magic coach Scott Skiles told reporters. "They get up, they get into you, they try to make it difficult, and you try to run something (and) they just blow right through it." Boston has scored at least 110 points in each game during the winning streak and it has scored 100 or more in 11 consecutive contests, the franchise's longest run since 1995-96. Orlando, meanwhile, has been held to 100 points or fewer in regulation in 13 of its last 14 outings and there is a growing sense of urgency in the locker room. "We've got to do something about it because we're playing soft right now," guard Victor Oladipo told the media. "We're not playing together and it's not working and if we don't figure it out it's going to be too late."
TV: 6 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Florida (Orlando), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (27-21): In his first game after earning his first All-Star Game nod, guard Isaiah Thomas scored 14 points and handed out eight assists in the win over the Magic, and he was given a chance to rest a sore ankle down the stretch. It was an easy call given the lopsided score and the play of Boston's bench, which accounted for 62 points (compared to 35 for Orlando) on 56.4 percent shooting. "I think we're coming together well. This last little bit we've played pretty well together I think - the first and second unit," Kelly Olynyk - who scored 16 points off the bench - told reporters. "We've had that continuity and just getting used to each other and playing together, and really carving out roles."
ABOUT THE MAGIC (20-25): The schedule will not do Orlando any favors as it tries to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference. After the second straight game against the streaking Celtics, the Magic will endure an eight-game span that includes two games against San Antonio (39-7 entering Saturday), two games against Atlanta (27-21) and meetings with Oklahoma City (36-13), the Los Angeles Clippers (31-16), Dallas (27-22) and Indiana (24-22). They finally meet a losing team in Philadelphia on Feb. 23, but Orlando lost by nine points at home to the 76ers earlier in its eight-game slide.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Oladipo is 6-of-23 from the floor in a three-game span since scoring 29 points in an overtime loss to Charlotte on Jan. 22.
2. Celtics G Marcus Smart is averaging 11.4 points on 41.7 percent shooting on the road, compared to 7.8 points with a 29.6 percent clip at home.
3. Orlando entered Saturday ranked last in the NBA with 14.3 made foul shots per game.