The Boston Celtics (29-25, 25-27-2) face off against the Orlando Magic (12-42, 24-30 ATS) at the Amway Center on Sunday night. Boston will look to extend their current winning streak, while the Magic are hoping to bounce back after a tough loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to the online sports book Betonline.ag, the Boston Celtics are 9.5-point favorites:
- Point Spread: Boston Celtics -9.5
- Over-Under: 215 points
- Money line: Boston Celtics -450, Orlando Magic +360
Injury Report
PJ Dozier (ACL) and Bol Bol (foot) are the only two Celtics on the injury report ahead of tonight’s game.
The Magic have five players listed on their injury report, and all are out – RJ Hampton (knee), Markelle Fultz (knee), E’Twaun Moore (knee), Michael Carter-Williams (ankle), and Jonathan Isaac (knee).
Predicted Starting Lineups
Boston Celtics
G: Marcus Smart
G: Jaylen Brown
F: Jayson Tatum
F: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams
Orlando Magic
G: Jalen Suggs
G: Cole Anthony
F: Franz Wagner
F: Wendell Carter Jr.
C: Mo Bamba
Boston Celtics Overview
The Celtics are currently on a four-game winning streak – their longest of the season thus far. They are slowly climbing the Eastern Conference standings in hopes of getting out of the play-in and into a regular playoff spot. Right now, they sit at 29-25 which is good for eighth in the East. However, they are only half a game behind the Toronto Raptors in seventh, and a game behind the Brooklyn Nets in sixth.
A lot of their recent success can be attributed to their elite defense. Boston’s regular starting five has been a force on that side of the floor. Throw in two quality bench pieces in Josh Richardson and Grant Williams, and the rotation is set. Ime Udoka hasn’t been playing very large rotations lately, usually only going eight or nine deep every game. It’s worked out as of late, but the trade deadline could throw a wrench into that.
Orlando Magic Overview
Orlando is in the middle of a full-on rebuild. That being said, they’ve actually been on somewhat of a roll lately. The Magic have won four of their last seven games, and considering they only have 12 wins on the season, that’s pretty good. They’ve managed to beat the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks during that stretch, too. Just because they are rebuilding doesn’t mean they don’t come to play every night.
And the reason behind that is the exciting young cast they have put together. Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Franz Wagner make up one of the most fun big threes in the business right now. Throw Wendell Carter Jr. on top of that, and the Magic have a really good foundation to work with. It might not be good enough to win a ton of games yet, but it should be in the future.
Prediction
Just as was the plan against the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics need to focus on the defensive end. Orlando has even more threatening pieces than Detroit does. Boston has Anthony, Suggs, Wagner, Carter Jr., and more to worry about. With how they’ve been playing on defense, they should be alright, but this is just to say that they need to keep up that same intensity against every team they face.
Robert Williams needs to be ready to rumble, and so does Al Horford. Orlando commonly runs two bigs as well – Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba. Boston’s big man duo is going to have to be ready to crowd the paint and put a halt to Orlando’s centers. Carter Jr. likes to play out on the perimeter more, but both are fully capable of heading down low, too. It’s a matchup to watch out for.
Lastly, Boston’s closing crew needs a bounce-back game. They played horrendously against Detroit, almost blowing a 20-point lead in the final minutes. If they get the chance to play against the Magic on Sunday night, they need to make sure that they’re ready to go.
The Magic are one of the worst teams in the NBA. With how Boston has been playing lately, there’s no doubt that they should be able to win this game.
Boston Celtics 108, Orlando Magic 95
TIP-OFF: 6:00 p.m. @ Amway Center
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
