Magic versus Celtics Game Thread

The Magic have not won a game in Boston since the Eastern Conference Finals. Yeah, it’s been a while.

The Magic will look to snap that streak, and more-importantly their current six-game losing streak, when they face the Celtics on Friday in Beantown. That will be easier said than done while squaring off against the team with the best record in the NBA.

The Celtics (16-3) are coming off a 104-98 loss to the Miami Heat that snapped a 16-game winning streak.

It was just about three weeks ago that the Magic and Celtics faced off in Orlando (a 104-88 Celtics win) in what was at the time considered an early-season Eastern Conference showdown. The match-up won’t get that billing this time around with the freefalling Magic having lost six-straight, dropping their record to 8-10. The Magic, in the second game of a four-game road trip, are coming off a loss to the Timberwolves in which they trailed by 26 points after three before staging a fourth-quarter rally to make it respectable.

Their assignment gets more difficult tonight in a game that Evan Fournier said the Magic must treat like a playoff game. Boston, one of the league’s slower teams averaging 98.7 possessions per game, is also the top defensive team in the NBA, allowing 96.4 points per 100 possessions.

To combat the Celtics’ stingy defense, the Magic will need to move the ball and find the open man. Containing Kyrie Irving in the pick-and-roll, will also be essential for a Magic team that struggles mightily with its switches.

And for those wondering, that last Magic win in Boston was in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals when the Magic avoided a sweep by winning 96-92 in overtime.

Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Catch the game on Fox Sports Florida, NBA League Pass or ESPN AM 580.