A disappointing loss for Orlando in Boston by 97-124 was the final result of last night’s efforts from the Magic against the Celtics.
THE OPENING QUARTER
The Celtics went from having insufficient players on Wednesday night to having 12 available. Orlando were again under manned only having 10 active players.
That extra depth told all game. The impact was instant for the Boston starting line up as both Jaylen Brown (25.8 PPG) and Tristan Thompson (7.9 PPG) returned.
Boston came out shooting and raced into a strong lead. Orlando worked hard to cut that lead, trimming it back to 6 points by the quarter’s close, 28-34.
TO THE HALF
Orlando showed some life to take their first lead of the night on a strong scoring run early in the second. Boston responded.
Rookie Payton Pritchard sparked a 17-5 scoring run for Boston. Growing Orlando frustration at the officials saw Dwayne Bacon hit with a technical.
Khem Birch was the brightest spark for the Magic. He fought for rebounds on the offensive boards, resulting in 8 points.
By the half the lead was 12, as the score stood at 48-60.
THE SECOND HALF STORY
As Boston stretched the lead to 16 it was Dwayne Bacon who showed some determination to fight. He made a series of strong drives and drew a couple of fouls. On the back of this effort Orlando cut the lead, getting it down to 6.
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got as the Celtics ballooned the lead.
Orlando lost Cole Anthony for a time. Anthony withdrew after striking his head on a Daniel Theis hip. He returned to play some additional minutes late in the 4th quarter.
By the final buzzer the score read 97-124.
POOR SHOOTING SETS UP A DISAPPOINTING LOSS FOR ORLANDO
As the game progressed it became clear Orlando had brought their collection of bricks to throw again from beyond the arc.
Boston by contrast were hitting from deep with regularity. In his commentary David Steele made reference that Orlando keep running into hot shooting teams. I do question if it is solely hot shooting teams or Orlando’s inability to defend the 3?
This is the 6th time in the last 8 games that Orlando have failed to score 100 points. Those 6 games equate to the season’s 6 defeats for Orlando.
Orlando were led by Aaron Gordon on the night with 17 points. Khem Birch secured his second double-double of the season with a hard earned 12 points and 12 rebounds.
MOVING ON FROM A DISAPPOINTING LOSS FOR ORLANDO
Orlando are dropping in every stat category in the NBA as they take a fourth consecutive defeat. They move to a 6-6 record for the season, which due to the start and injuries now feels disappointing. The Magic are now 6th in the Eastern Conference.
Tonight sees Orlando move to Brooklyn on the second night of the back-to-back. Expect James Harden to make his debut for Brooklyn.
A full game review of this disappointing loss for Orlando by Josh Cohen on the Orlando Magic website can be read here.
