BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas admitted he couldn’t have earned an All-Star bid without the support of his teammates.
His teammates proved why Friday night.
The Celtics relied on a complete team effort that saw seven players reach double figures to cruise to a 113-94 win over the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Boston faltered a bit in the second and third quarters but blitzed Orlando with a 22-4 run to start the fourth, making the club’s fifth consecutive win all but a formality.
Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk were the Celtics’ high scorers with 16 points apiece. Jae Crowder and Evan Turner each scored 15, while Jonas Jerebko (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Jared Sullinger (11 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-doubles. Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 14 points.
The C’s improved to 27-21 with the win to move into a tie with the Atlanta Hawks for fourth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson
GIVING BACK
Thomas gave props to his teammates after earning an All-Star bid. He thanked them through his play in the first quarter.
The Celtics guard racked up four assists in the first quarter while adding two field goals, meaning he was involved on six of Boston’s first 11 made field goals.
The C’s needed Thomas’ spark, as they scored just once in their first six possessions in what was a pretty sloppy start.
SECOND WAVE
The C’s opened up a double-digit lead in the second quarter thanks to some strong play from their bench.
Turner dropped seven points, two assists and two rebounds in the frame to pace an impressive effort from Boston’s second unit that saw Smart and Jerebko each drill a pair of 3-pointers.
The Magic clawed back with a late second-quarter run, but Thomas came back on to close out the half with a lightning-quick coast-to-coast take.
99 SOLUTIONS
Boston had some problems in the third quarter, but Crowder wasn’t one of them.
The Celtics swingman helped keep the C’s afloat despite a rough shooting stretch. He stopped a 6-0 Magic run to start the half by drilling a 3-pointer, then hit a second deep ball later in the quarter to stretch Boston’s lead to nine.
The C’s also enjoyed another coast-to-coast buzzer beater to end the third quarter — this one courtesy of Turner — to keep Orlando at bay.
NORTHERNÂ HEAT
Olynyk helped put the Magic away for good in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of the team’s first 11 points in the frame as part of a massive 22-4 run.
The surge allowed head coach Brad Stevens to give little-used reserves James Young and Tyler Zeller some minutes in garbage time.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
The caption here pretty much says it all:
UP NEXT
Another date with the Magic, this time in Orlando. The Celtics will travel south Sunday to complete the second half of their home-and-home at Amway Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
