NBA Recap: Magic Stumble, Fall to Celtics 117-87

Despite playing without star Isaiah Thomas, the Boston Celtics showed offensive prowess over the Orlando Magic and routed the home team by 30 points.

Filling In

While it’s almost impossible to replace the production of your top scorer, the Celtics that were healthy certainly filled in last night. Guard Avery Bradley dropped 23 points last night to lead Boston, along with four rebounds and three assists. Continuing the theme of chipping in were Jae Crowder (17 points), Terry Rozier (16 points) and Marcus Smart (13 points). In fact, there were seven Celtics last night that scored double digit points. Former Gator Al Horford, on an admittedly off shooting night, had six rebounds and eight assists. On a night where the Celtics were missing Isaiah Thomas’ 26 points per game, the other players’ ability to step up was key.

One guy who took this mentality quite literally was rookie Jaylen Brown, who stepped up over Nikola Vucevic for a ferocious dunk in the play of the night.

Jaylen Brown drives with the left, and smashes the rim with his right. Get out of the way! https://t.co/sIsU3UUgEB

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 8, 2016

Playing Smart

For Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, the most important part of last night’s win for his team was their ability to play smart basketball. While getting scoring from a number of players may get the attention of the fans, without protecting the basketball it would’ve been rendered meaningless. The Celtics were able to do just that, compiling 29 assists against just ten turnovers.

Running out of Magic

The Orlando Magic certainly showed the effects of playing on the second night of a back-to-back. It’s difficult for any team in the NBA to play on two straight nights, and the Magic were no exception. After a high-scoring affair the night before, the Magic seemed to just run out of steam. Frank Vogel’s side scored 37 less points and shot 14% less from the field than against the Wizards the night before. The lone Magic who seemed to play better on this “second night” was D.J. Augustin, who scored 15 points and made four of six three point attempts.

Highlights of the Night go to D.J. Augustin, who knocked down four triples on his way to a team-high 15 points. https://t.co/lal6ZbX7p9

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 8, 2016

Up Next

The Magic are off Thursday before next heading to Charlotte to take on Kemba Walker and the hornets. Tipoff from the Spectrum Center on Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m.