Magic at Celtics
The Boston Celtics were the preseason favorites to win the Eastern Conference but putting together the pieces might take more time than originally thought. The Celtics will try to earn back-to-back wins for the first time this season when they host the upstart Orlando Magic on Monday.
Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals last season without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward and are working in the two stars, and the Celtics looked a bit uneven in a loss at Toronto on Friday and a 103-101 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday. "We've got 79 more games, 79," Irving told reporters. "So, I'm trying to take it one game at a time and enjoy every part of the ups and downs that we’re gonna face and the challenges that we face as we continue to build an identity of who we are and our consistency on both ends of the floor, how much effort we play with." The Magic are focusing on consistency as well as they try to mold a young roster into a playoff contender and bounced back from a terrible performance by taking the 76ers down to the wire in a 116-115 setback at Philadelphia on Saturday. "We played better and should have won the game, but we made two huge – huge – defensive game plan mistakes late that we had defended the whole game," Orlando coach Steve Clifford told reporters. "So, whatever, we played better, but that's not what this league is about. That's a game right there that was there to be won. There were plays to be made and you’ve got to make them."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS Florida (Orlando), NBCS Boston
ABOUT THE MAGIC (1-2): Orlando's roster doesn't offer much in the way of veteran leadership, but 27-year-old center Nikola Vucevic is trying to step into that role. The eight-year veteran recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists on Saturday while going 4-of-4 from 3-point range but was not happy that his team came out on the wrong end on the scoreboard. "We can be proud of the way that we fought, but we can’t be satisfied with that because the goal isn’t to play hard and have a close loss," Vucevic told reporters. "You always learn stuff (about your team). Win or lose, you always have to learn, but I think we’re past the point where we can be OK with the learning part."
ABOUT THE CELTICS (2-1): Irving and Hayward are the incumbent All-Stars on the roster, but second-year forward Jayson Tatum might have the most superstar potential. The 20-year-old Duke product collected 24 points and 14 rebounds in the win at New York and is becoming the go-to option during crunch time. "A lot more comfortable than I would have been last year," Tatum told reporters of his comfort level at the end of games. "I think it's just - it gets easier with time, as you play more games you get more relaxed."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hayward, who missed all but the first two minutes of the opener last season due to an ankle injury, did not play Saturday on the second night of a back-to-back but should be in the lineup on Monday.
2. Magic SF Jonathon Simmons (personal) missed Saturday's loss and is questionable for Monday.
3. The Celtics took three of the four meetings last season, with Orlando's lone win coming at Boston on Jan. 21.