It was Christmas Day but the Boston Celtics handed out no gifts on their visit to Orlando, holding the Magic to 33% shooting and winning 86-77.
Still smarting from a loss to Orlando in Boston earlier in the season, this was a chance for the Celtics (23-5) to make a statement and Doc Rivers' team overcame the absense of Paul Pierce to score an important victory.
Vince Carter was the sole success for the Magic with 27 points but a balanced Boston line-up used a second quarter push to establish an uncatchable lead. Ray Allen had 18 points and Rajon Rondo maintained his hot streak with 17 points, 13 boards and eight assists.
Orlando will be keen to move on quickly from this loss but only really let themselves down in the second quarter, when they were outscored 20-8.
These two teams will see plenty more of each other this year and, though Dwight Howard and company were off-color in this one, both look on track to reach the Conference Finals.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment