The Boston Celtics found themselves on the other end of a lopsided affair Sunday night.
After beating the Washington Wizards by 33 points Friday night, the Celtics kicked off their five-game road trip with a clunker, falling 110-91 to the Magic in Orlando, Fla. The Magic outscored the C’s 63-47 over the second and third quarters, while Boston committed 11 turnovers in a lethargic offensive effort.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 20 points and seven assists, while Avery Bradley chipped in 17 points, Jae Crowder added 12 and David Lee tallied 11. Orlando relied on a balanced attack, getting 56 of its 110 points from its bench, including 19 from guard Victor Oladipo.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger
OUT OF SYNC
Things got off to a pretty sloppy start in Orlando.
The Celtics struggled in the first quarter to capture the offensive rhythm that led to 111 points Friday night. They committed six turnovers in the period, and the team’s best instance of good ball movement didn’t exactly end well for Evan Turner at the rim:
WHERE’S THE D?
The Celtics’ normally strong defense was anything but in the second quarter.
Orlando opened an eight-point advantage heading into halftime by taking advantage of several open looks. Magic forward Andrew Nicholson was the primary beneficiary, knocking down two open 3-pointers and driving for an uncontested dunk that caused angry Celtics coach Brad Stevens to call a timeout midway through the frame.
BROKEN GLASS
The Celtics lost the rebound battle, and their inability to corral boards hurt them dearly in the third quarter.
The Magic kept a number of possessions alive in the frame by grabbing loose balls and ripping down offensive rebounds. Their efforts on the glass — Orlando tallied 17 offensive rebounds to Boston’s nine — allowed them to extend their lead to as many as 17 points and all but put the game out of reach heading into the fourth quarter.
Orlando converted 26 second-chance points, while Boston managed just four.
DAVID AS GOLIATH
David Lee was one of the few bright spots for Boston. The reserve forward had an extremely efficient first half, going 5 of 5 with 11 points despite playing just 10 minutes off the bench. Lee didn’t score again but also added four rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes of action.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
We’re not going to lie: Highlights were hard to come by for Boston. So here’s a clip of Turner taking an “eventful” trip to the basket in the first half.
UP NEXT
The Celtics (9-8) will travel across the state of Florida to face the Miami Heat on Monday night. The Heat boast a 10-5 record after winning four of their last five contests. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports Images
