The Boston Celtics put together a dominant second half against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, claiming a 92-79 victory at Amway Center and snapping a three-game losing skid in the process.
Boston improves to 3-5 on the season while Orlando falls to 2-7.
You can check out the box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics, even going against a team as down as the Magic, couldn’t put together a complete game Wednesday. Boston came out flat while allowing Orlando to shoot 50% from the field in the first quarter as the Magic took a 28-26 lead after 12 minutes. The Magic, arguably the league’s worst offense, continued that pace before taking a two-point lead into the half.
Fortunately, Boston did rebound for a monster third quarter on both ends, and it helped them pull away. They buckled down defensively as the Magic shot 2-for-17 from the field in the third quarter, and that helped their offense (and ball movement) come alive to the tune of 31 third-quarter points. Boston outscored Orlando 31-10 in the third. Essentially, the Celtics (again) did not put together a complete game, but did dominate a bad team through the second half — like good (or better?) teams are supposed to do.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown put together an extremely efficient night as he made 10 of his 17 shot attempts for a game-high 28 points. And while Boston didn’t shoot the ball well from long range — 27% on 10-of-37 — Brown did hit three of his eight attempts from beyond the arc. He also added three assists and five rebounds.
— Al Horford recorded his fifth double-double in six games this season. Horford finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds all while adding a team-high seven assists and two blocks.
— Robert Williams made his presence in the paint rather noticeable while finishing with 12 points on 75% (6-for-8) from the field. Williams finished with six rebounds and one block while finishing plus-15 for the Celtics.
WAGER WATCH
Jaylen Brown entered Wednesday’s game with his over/under propositional bet at a very modest 22.5 points, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. And while bettors would have had to wager $125 to win $100, it certainly was enticing given the fact Brown entered the contest averaging 26.7 points per game. Well, Brown made those willing to place a wager some money, and he didn’t even make it close as he hit the over with 18 minutes left in the contest.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will return to action Thursday against much stiffer competition. Boston, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, will face the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat.
