Magic at Celtics GameThread

A monumental event is taking place in New England this afternoon involving one powerhouse organization taking on a Florida-based organization.

And then the Jaguars and Patriots will battle it out for the AFC Championship.

The Orlando Magic, losers of 8 of their last 9 games, will square off against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics in a rare Sunday afternoon tilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM EST.

It has been exactly seven weeks since the Magic last secured a road victory, a 105-100 victory in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks.

The Celtics have dropped two games in a row this week at home, and are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. Thursday night was arguably Boston's worst performance of the season, they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 89-80. The Celtics were playing without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving in that contest (shoulder), however Irving practiced with the team Saturday and is expected to play against the Magic.

The Magic dropped a close game in Cleveland their last time on the floor last Thursday night, 104-103. In that contest, the Magic dug themselves in a rather large hole early, but battled back in the second half (outscored Cleveland 56-37 in the second half). Orlando came all the way back from a 23 point deficit, and even took the lead very late in the game.

A controversial foul called on guard Shelvin Mack with 11 seconds left in the game, who was challenging Isaiah Thomas as he was heading into the lane and rising for a shot attempt, gave Thomas two deciding free-throws that proved to be the difference in the final score.

"I'm disappointed for our guys," Orlando head coach Frank Vogel said. "I felt like they deserved the victory. We didn't get the breaks down the stretch."

The Magic have had virtually no success playing in Boston in the last decade. Orlando has lost 14 straight at the TD Garden in Boston, and 17 of their last 18 games overall in that building. The Celtics have won the first two games in the series this season, and have won six straight games against the Magic overall.

Leave your pregame and in-game comments below. As always, enjoy!