It’s been a tough go for the Magic since the start of the New Year with just one win in 12 games. They are still hopeful of competing for a playoff spot and a win over the Celtics in the back end of a home-and-home series could improve their chances and get them out of this funk.
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LETDOWN
If the struggling Orlando Magic are searching for inspiration, they can find it in the Celtics, who they play a home-and-home with over the weekend. Last season the Celtics fell to 16-30 on Feb. 1, but they rallied, helped by a deal at the deadline in which they acquired guard Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics posted a 24-12 record the rest of the way and qualified for the playoffs. The Magic own a better record than the C’s held a year ago at this time and entered Friday just three games out of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
So hope isn’t lost. But it is fading. The Magic have lost 11 of 12 entering Friday’s game and have looked almost exactly like they looked last season: Their defense is poor, and they hurt themselves with a lack of execution, especially late in games. A month ago, the Magic were riding high. They ended December with seven wins in nine games to improve to 19-13. It looked like they were about to emerge from their long rebuilding process. This month has eroded that momentum.
INJURIES
Thomas twisted his ankle during a celebration in Wednesday night’s victory over Denver, but is not expected to miss any games. Depending on the severity of the injury, the Celtics’ leading scoring could have his speed and explosiveness hampered.
The Magic are hopeful C.J. Watson is nearing a return from a calf strain that has cost him all but eight games of the season so far. Watson resumed on-court activities but will be eased into the lineup after missing plenty of time.
KEY MATCHUP
The Celtics have struggled at times this season to find a consistent finisher. But they certainly have a starter. That man would be Avery Bradley, who has emerged as the team’s go-to offensive spark early in games. In Wednesday’s win over the Nuggets, Bradley scored 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting in the first quarter. That outburst was not unusual. Bradley has scored more than a third of his points this season in the first quarter, averaging 5.6 of his 15 points per game in the first 12 minutes. He boasts an impressive 49 percent first quarter shooting percentage and has been red-hot out of the gate over his previous five games, averaging 7.8 first quarter points on 58 percent shooting. Bradley’s hot starts have been beneficial in allowing players like Thomas to find their rhythm as the game progresses.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Magic’s hot start had them being a bigger attraction in Orlando than Disneyworld. But the Magic have gone cold since the start of the calendar year, posting just one win in 12 games since Jan. 1. And it’s been a complete breakdown, which makes the slide even more disturbing. It wasn’t like Orlando was expected to be in the hunt for anything, but they have put together a nice roster of youth and athleticism. Maybe they just couldn’t handle the early-season success.
Boston heads into the home-and-home series looking to extend its four-game winning streak while continuing to score the basketball at an alarming clip. The Celtics have scored at least 110 points during their win streak and have topped the 100-point mark in each of their previous 10 games while averaging 112.4 points in that span. They should be able to exploit plenty of holes in Orlando’s defense to capture the road win.
Boston 113, Orlando 105
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