Boston Celtics host Orlando Magic aiming to extend winning streak
Watch Orlando Magic @ Boston Celtics live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours on Thursday morning (12:30am)
Thursday 6 February 2020 04:24, UK
The Boston Celtics look for their fifth straight victory in the early hours of Thursday morning when they welcome the Orlando Magic to TD Garden.
The Celtics have won seven of their last eight games after posting a 123-115 victory over Atlanta on Monday night and appear to be hitting their stride at an important juncture of the season, with the All-Star break and trade deadline both looming.
Boston have continued winning even with All-Star selection Kemba Walker and defensive stopper Marcus Smart both on the sidelines. Their absences provided Celtics coach Brad Stevens the opportunity to employ more role players from his bench that could be vital to the team's late-season push.
"I came in tonight, just trying to accomplish and do my job. I feel like I did a great job of that, defending," rookie Grant Williams told reporters after his 13-point, six-rebound performance off the bench in Atlanta. "Our defense has to spark our offense, and I thought we did a great job of that."
Williams is in line to receive more playing time after the Celtics ruled out starting center Daniel Theis to face the Magic. Theis tweaked his ankle against the Hawks and, while he was available to return, did not get back on the court.
Williams and third-year reserve Semi Ojeleye have both played key minutes and given Boston a boost during the current eight-game stretch. Ojeleye has logged 20-plus minutes in four games and registered highs of 11 points in Saturday's victory over Philadelphia and five rebounds against both 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers (January 20).
Williams' 13 points at Atlanta marked his second-highest on the season, and he grabbed seven rebounds in a January 28 win against the Miami Heat. Stevens had used the duo together, with the biggest boost from his perspective coming on defense.
"The Semi/Grant 4/5 is not traditional, but it is very strong," Stevens told The Athletic following the 116-95 rout of Philadelphia. "It is hard to post because they're so strong and they can both move their feet and guard. So you're able to switch a lot with that group and not lose a whole lot from a perimeter defense standpoint. And then if we're a little bit bigger around them with our wings, we've got a lot of versatility."
Boston's current run includes a 109-98 win in Orlando on January 24, in which Williams posted a +17 plus-minus rating.
The loss was the second in a five-game skid for the Magic, and the fourth in a spell in which they dropped seven of eight.
Orlando pulled out of the tailspin with a 112-100 win on Monday night in Charlotte, the first of three consecutive road games for the Magic. They embark on this Eastern Conference road swing in eighth place, four games ahead of Chicago for the last berth in the playoffs and just a half-game behind Brooklyn for seventh.
Two players recorded double-doubles for Orlando in the win at Charlotte, with Aaron Gordon scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Markelle Fultz continued his strong play of late with 12 points and 14 assists.
Fultz has already played in 16 more games this season than the previous two combined in Philadelphia, and his 11.7 points and 4.8 assists per game mark are career-bests. In the 17 games since the calendar turned to 2020, Fultz is averaging 12.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, and registered a triple-double in Orlando's January 15 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Part of that (improvement) is being out there on the floor, making mistakes and learning from them," Fultz told the Magic's official website. "It's a combination of experiencing things while I'm playing as the games go on and then I also want to get better at making the right film prep, asking the right questions and making sure that I'm prepared for the games."
Watch Orlando Magic @ Boston Celtics live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours on Thursday morning (12:30am)
