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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| CELTICS | 18 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 86 |
| MAGIC | 19 | 8 | 26 | 24 | 77 |
Recap:
ORLANDO (AP) -- Rajon Rondo had 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, and the Boston Celtics bullied the Orlando Magic with strong defense in an 86-77 victory Friday.
Ray Allen added 18 points and Tony Allen scored 16 in place of the injured Paul Pierce for the Celtics, who rolled to their 14th win in the last 15 games.
The only big blow for the Celtics came in the final minutes, when Kevin Garnett jumped to block a shot by Vince Carter, only to land awkwardly and go tumbling to the ground. He hobbled back to the bench holding his back and didn't return.
Carter finished with 27 points, and Rashard Lewis had 19 points for the Magic. Orlando had no answer to Boston's relentless pressure, which held Dwight Howard to five points and Orlando to a season low in points.
Even with all that, the Magic had a chance.
Lewis' 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining - the same play Garnett went down - cut Boston's lead to 78-75. Then Ray Allen connected with a jumper and made a pair of free throws to seal the win, perhaps cementing the Celtics as the top contenders to dethrone the defending Eastern Conference champions.
This was exactly the game the Celtics wanted.
They beat and bruised the Magic's front line, smothering Howard so much he only had one shot attempt in the opening quarter - a missed tip in the final minute - and struggled to get free until the final buzzer. The Celtics didn't double-team the Magic's center like so many teams do, mostly because they didn't have to.
Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Co. limited Howard's touches and were able to close out fast on Orlando's potent shooters. The physical play turned things into the kind of foul-filled defensive game where Boston flourishes.
And the Magic don't.
The Celtics held Orlando to 28 points in the first half, tying a franchise low. They closed the quarter on an 18-2 run to take an 11-point lead, smiling on their way to the locker room as some fans showered the home team with boos.
This was Boston's style. All the rough and tough play had emotions high, too much so for the Magic. There were three technical fouls in the game, with Howard and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy getting called on consecutive plays in the third quarter. Garnett was also called for a technical foul after elbowing Howard.
Even Celtics reserve Brian Scalabrine got in the action, tossing Carter into the scorer's table in the third quarter just as he caught the ball sprinting up court. There were 47 personal fouls in the game.
NOTES: Celtics coach Doc Rivers lives in the Orlando area and was able to spend Christmas morning with his family. Rivers even joked he already had breakfast twice before the game began - one at the arena, one at home. ... Celtics F Glen Davis was activated for the first time since he injured his right thumb before the season. ... The Celtics arrived in Orlando on Wednesday and spent time with their familes at the area's theme parks between practices.
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POSTGAME VIDEO:
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Preview:
(STATS) -- With one of the Big Three injured for last season's playoffs, the Boston Celtics were stretched thin and the Orlando Magic ended their hopes of repeating as champions.
Good health keyed the Celtics racing to the best record in the Eastern Conference this season, but now another member of the trio will be missing.
Paul Pierce begins an injury absence that will last at least two weeks as Boston visits the Magic in a Christmas Day matchup featuring the top teams in the East.
Just hours after scoring 16 fourth-quarter points in Tuesday's 103-94 win over Indiana, Pierce was in so much pain from a right knee infection that coach Doc Rivers says the seven-time All-Star called team trainer Ed Lacerte around 3 a.m. Wednesday. Lacerte took Pierce to the hospital, where they drained fluid from the forward's knee.
"What he's going through is pretty significant," guard Ray Allen said. "It is serious. Because me knowing Paul, he's always practicing and he's always playing, so for him not to be here, it must be very significant."
Pierce, the 2008 NBA finals MVP, had played in every game this season for the Celtics (22-5), averaging a team-best 18.2 points.
"It's unfortunate for Paul's situation because it was kind of like a freak accident, or a freak situation," Kevin Garnett said. "It's really weird when you get the details of it."
Although the Celtics will be without their top offensive threat, Garnett is expected to play after sitting out Tuesday with a thigh bruise, the first game he missed all season. The 12-time All-Star sat out last season's playoffs with strained knee ligaments, and Boston was eliminated by the Magic in seven games in the conference semifinals.
A healthy Garnett has helped the Celtics to a fast start, but even with the entire Big Three in uniform, Boston lost to Orlando 83-78 on Nov. 20 in the only meeting since last season's playoffs.
Pierce had a team-high 21 points, Allen had 15 and Garnett added 13 points and 11 rebounds, but the Celtics shot a season-low 34.5 percent and were 2 of 19 from 3-point range.
The Magic weren't much better offensively, committing 20 turnovers, and Dwight Howard was held to nine points, but Vince Carter scored a game-high 26.
This could be another tight defensive game. The Celtics allow a league-low average of 92.0 points and will likely try to keep pressure on Orlando, knowing they can't rely on Pierce at the offensive end.
Just as Boston, which has won 13 of 14 since losing to the Magic, is getting a little banged-up, Orlando is finally starting to get healthy.
The Magic defeated Houston 102-87 on Wednesday, just the second time this season they began a game with their regular starting five. Two-time All-Star Rashard Lewis sat out Orlando's first 10 games while serving a suspension and Jameer Nelson, an All-Star last season, made his first start Wednesday since Nov. 16 after missing 16 contests with a left knee injury.
Despite all the lineup shuffling, the Magic (22-7) look poised to defend the conference championship. It's no surprise Howard is a big reason why.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year had 20 rebounds for the second time in three games Wednesday and blocked four shots. Howard leads the league in both categories, averaging 13.1 boards and 2.5 blocks.
"I know that the only thing that is important is that if I'm blocking shots and rebounding we're going to win games," said Howard, who had 15 rebounds and three blocks against the Celtics last month.
The Magic have won seven of the last 10 meetings, including playoffs, as Howard has averaged 17.1 boards and 3.1 blocks.
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Live Baseline Blog:
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Game Notes:
Dec. 25 vs. Boston: Orlando is 38-42 all-time vs. Boston in regular season action (27-13 at home, 11-29 on the road), including 1-0 this season… The Magic went 2-2 last season against the Celtics...The Magic are 7-4 vs. the Celtics in the playoffs (1-1 at home, 2-0 on the road, 1995 first round series; 2-1 at home, 2-2 on the road, 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals)...The Magic have won 11 of the last 16 regular season matchups with the Celtics overall…Orlando has won seven of the last eight meetings at home and split the last eight matchups in Boston…Orlando defeated Boston in the last game ever played at the Boston Garden, 95-92, on May 5, 1995...Assistant Coach Steve Clifford coached at Boston University for four years… Nov. 20 @ Boston – Magic 83, Celtics 78: Vince Carter poured in a game-high 26 points, as Orlando defeated Boston, 83-78, at TD Garden. It was the fourth straight victory for the Magic. Rashard Lewis tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando, while Mickael Pietrus added 14 points. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 21 points. Orlando shot just 41.4 percent and committed 21 turnovers. However, they held Boston to just 34.5 percent shooting from the floor, including 2-of-19 from three-point range. Orlando led 29-13 after the first quarter, but the Celtics fought back and trailed 43-40 at halftime. Rasheed Wallace’s short jumper with 2:54 remaining tied the score at 78. However, Carter responded with a short fadeaway on the next possession to give the Magic the lead for good.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. CELTICS: 44 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Orlando, 1-16-04)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 46 pts., Larry Bird (@ Orlando, 3-16-90)
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