Orlando Pinstriped Post - Magic vs. Celtics: Homestand concludes as Boston visitsAn Orlando Magic blog with news, rumors, analysis, and commentaryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/21281/orlando-fave.jpg2014-01-19T22:57:22-05:00http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/rss/stream/50886792014-01-19T22:57:22-05:002014-01-19T22:57:22-05:00Notebook: Orlando shortens rotation in rare win
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<img alt="Kris Humphries and Arron Afflalo" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QpLEPIMG0vNU4Zo_LGUscZPAtXk=/0x358:3033x2380/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27129325/20140119_krj_sv7_353.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kris Humphries and Arron Afflalo | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Magic used just seven players on Sunday as they ended their 10-game losing streak.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Orlando Magic</a> picked up their first win of the 2014 calendar year Sunday by holding off the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a>, 93-91, at Amway Center, ending their 10-game losing streak. They secured victory by not allowing Boston to even put up a shot on its final possession. After the buzzer sounded, Orlando's players gathered near the free-throw line in front of their bench and celebrated. </p>
<p><span>Arron Afflalo</span> led the Magic with 20 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds, and he contributed six assists as well. <span>Jameer Nelson</span> added a 16-point, 10-assist double-double, while <span>Tobias Harris</span> scored 18 points with seven rebounds. Orlando withstood a strong performance from Boston forward <span>Jeff Green</span>, who scored a game-high 22 on 4-of-11 shooting from the floor and 13-of-15 shooting from the foul line.</p>
<p>"It was a big relief," Orlando big man <span>Kyle O'Quinn</span> said of ending the skid. "We had to break it at some point. It was good we broke it tonight against a team that we had to get a little revenge on [because] they kinda got at us when we played at their place, so it feels good." The Celtics had previously defeated the Magic twice in 2013/14, most recently in a 120-105 rout in Boston.</p>
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<strong>More</strong>: <a href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/1/19/5324638/boston-celtics-orlando-magic-2014-nba-schedule-preview" target="new">Full Magic/Celtics coverage</a> <a href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/1/19/5325748/boston-celtics-orlando-magic-final-score-2014-arron-afflalo-kris-humphries" target="new">Game recap</a>
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<p>Here's a look at the stories that developed Sunday.</p>
<h4>Seven is enough</h4>
<p>Magic coach <span>Jacque Vaughn</span> used only seven players in Sunday's game, with O'Quinn and <span>E'Twaun Moore</span> serving as the sole reserves to log time; rotation players <span>Maurice Harkless</span> and <span>Andrew Nicholson</span> logged Did Not Play-Coach's Decisions.</p>
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<p>"The thought was there, going into the game, to shorten the rotation," Vaughn said afterward. "Just spinning the bigs a little bit, and spinning the smalls. That's a team that's got veterans on their team with <span>[Gerald] Wallace</span> and Jeff Green, and a lot of areas would have presented matchup problems for us throughout the course of the game." Vaughn went on to explain that spinning refers to using only one reserve at each position--one big and one small--and rotating that sub in as needed, rather than complicating the rotation with additional reserves.</p>
<p>That tactic paid off: Orlando didn't seem to miss either Nicholson or Harkless, while both O'Quinn and Moore provided great minutes off the bench. And while Green had a terrific game, Boston shot just 36.7 percent from the floor as a team. By and large, Orlando minimized the mismatches the Celtics might have thought they could create heading into the game.</p>
<h4>Pep talk inspires improved performance</h4>
<p>Afflalo indicated that the Magic's players and coaches met Saturday to discuss ending their losing streak. That talk also inspired the team in Sunday's win, its first over Boston since December 25th, 2010.</p>
<p>"Right now, the emphasis is on competing for wins," Afflalo said. "Tonight, I thought we did that. I could feel no personal agendas, I could feel nothing but five guys who were on the court, and the two guys who came off the bench, really looking for a way to get a victory tonight."</p>
<p>The meeting's message, according to Afflalo: "We told ourself that whatever we were doing, it's not working. It's not working, so it's time to make a change now or it's going to be a free fall.</p>
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"We told ourself that whatever we were doing, it's not working. It's not working, so it's time to make a change now or it's going to be a free fall."
<span>Arron Afflalo</span>
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<p>"We made up our mind tonight that good, bad, or indifferent, we were gonna compete for each other, we're gonna try to protect this building, and when we go on the road now, we'll play with the same effort and intensity through adversity."</p>
<p>O'Quinn's account of the meeting echoed Afflalo's. "We just talked about [...] just playing for one goal, which is a victory," he said. "It just brings out a lot of different things out of guys."</p>
<p>The Magic's play Sunday certainly indicated a renwed energy and sense of urgency; Harris even referred to it as a "must-win for us" when he addressed the media afterward. That urgency manifested itself in the hustle plays Orlando made, including a key rebound that <span>Glen Davis</span> secured which led to a Magic timeout just before the referees could whistle a jump ball.</p>
<p>But Orlando didn't play expertly for all 48 minutes: it missed nine of its first 11 shot attempts and, in the third quarter, had a scoreless drought which lasted nearly seven minutes. Afflalo attributed the slow start to nerves.</p>
<p>"The difference in our slow start tonight was a little bit of pressure we put on ourselves to wanna get it done," he said. "That's a big difference from having a slow start because you're not ready to play or you got other things on your mind. If you start out slow because you wanna win so bad, we'll recover from that, and when we do get the game in hand, we'll continue to compete all the way through."</p>
<h4>Oladipo a "sure thing"</h4>
<p>When he met with the media prior to Sunday's game, Celtics coach <span>Brad Stevens</span> offered high praise for Magic rookie <span>Victor Oladipo</span>, calling the combo guard an "outstanding player" with "a huge upside." Since the Magic and the Celtics last met on November 11th, Stevens said, Oladipo is playing "even more comfortably in high pick-and-roll," a product of Orlando's giving him more touches in those situations.</p>
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<p>But if Oladipo's first-year performance has surprised the Boston coach, Stevens didn't show it.</p>
<p>"When you talk about guys in the Draft, specifically, there are guys that are clearly sure things," Stevens said. "And to me, he was a sure thing because you knew he was gonna give it everything he has, his work ethic's off the charts, and he's got an extra gear that a lot of guys don't have."</p>
<p>That extra gear has so far enabled Oladipo to avoid the so-called "rookie wall," as he's playing the best ball of his young career in January: entering Sunday's game, he was averaging 14 points, 4.3 rebounds, four assists, and 3.4 turnovers on 53.2 percent True Shooting since the calendar flipped to 2014. Against Boston, he shot just 2-of-8 for nine points, but added six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks in his 39 minutes.</p>
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https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/1/19/5325442/boston-celtics-orlando-magic-news-2014-arron-afflalo-jacque-vaughnEvan Dunlap2014-01-19T20:40:27-05:002014-01-19T20:40:27-05:00Magic edge Celtics, snap skid at 10 games
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<img alt="Kris Humphries and Tobias Harris" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YrJODg8VIGMRQ9Ea5AJ1NhOvFnQ=/0x41:4000x2708/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27125301/20140119_ads_sv7_045.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kris Humphries and Tobias Harris | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Sunday evening, Orlando topped Boston at Amway Center for the first time since 2010, and in the process earned its first win of the 2014 calendar year.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Orlando Magic</a> earned their first win of the 2014 calendar year on Sunday, holding off the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a>, 93-91, to end their 10-game losing streak.</p>
<p><span>Arron Afflalo</span> tallied 20 points and 13 rebounds for his first double-double since joining the Magic. Tobias Harris added 18 points and seven rebounds of his own, and <span>Jameer Nelson</span> scored 16 with 10 assists.</p>
<p><span>Jeff Green</span> led the Celtics with 22 points, while <span>Kris Humphries</span> added 18 points and 12 rebounds. <span>Rajon Rondo</span>, in his second appearance of the season following ACL surgery, played 21 minutes and contributed six points, six rebounds, and four assists.</p>
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<p>Orlando got off to a sluggish start: after making its first two field-goal attempts, it missed its next nine, allowing Boston to build a 16-6 lead until Afflalo drilled a three-pointer to break that slump. Boston's pressure defense kept the Magic from getting good looks, and Orlando didn't move the ball side-to-side nearly enough to force the Celtics to react.</p>
<p><span>Kyle O'Quinn</span> checked in during that slump and made an impact for the Magic, tallying seven points, four rebounds, a steal, and a block in his six-minute stint. Though he didn't affect the net score--Boston led by eight points when O'Quinn entered and when the quarter ended--he nonetheless gave Orlando a physical presence on the glass: the second-year big man got four of an available 13 rebounds all by himself. He also gave the Magic's guards a great roll target out of pick-and-roll sets.</p>
<p>The Magic played with greater energy in the second period, with the result of their first possession--a wide-open corner triple from <span>E'Twaun Moore</span>--typifying the activity level on most of their subsequent touches. On this play, the ball rotated to O'Quinn at the top of the key, and he rifled a pass to Afflalo cutting backdoor from the left corner to the hoop. Boston rotated to Afflalo to take away the layup, but he found Moore in the right corner for three. The Magic, in other words, leveraged the Celtics' aggressiveness against them, and it worked.</p>
<p>A three-point play from <span>Victor Oladipo</span> at the 7:02 mark of the second period put the home team up by a point, giving it its first lead since the score was 4-2 for all of 17 seconds in the first quarter. The Magic built their lead to five when Harris drew a transition foul on <span>Jared Sullinger</span> and converted two foul shots; Orlando's ability to push the pace off its own stops paid dividends, as did the fact that the Magic put Boston in the penalty less than six minutes into the period.</p>
<p>All told, the Magic outscored Boston in the second, 35-20, to take a seven-point lead into the locker room. Orlando's defense tightened up to turn the game around, limiting the Celtics to 8-of-23 shooting. Curiously, Magic coach <span>Jacque Vaughn</span> used only seven players in the first half, leaving the likes of <span>Maurice Harkless</span> and <span>Andrew Nicholson</span> on the bench, with O'Quinn and Moore as his only subs. </p>
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<p>Both teams got off to sluggish starts in the third quarter, combining for just 11 points on 4-of-20 shooting from the floor in the opening six minutes. Nelson committed three turnovers while trying to thread the needle to roll men, further adding to Orlando's offensive woes. </p>
<p>The Celtics, for their part, worked their way back in the game by putting Rondo in the post and trying to draw extra defenders to him. When <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/1/19/5324560/rajon-rondo-minutes-restriction-boston-celtics" target="blank">Rondo's minutes limit</a> forced him out of the game, Boston went back to a more traditional offense, and Humphries made Orlando's defense pay for leaving him open: he drained three long two-point jumpers in a 13-0 Celtics run, the last of which shots prompted Vaughn to burn a 20-second timeout.</p>
<p>Harris ultimately snapped the Magic's six-minute, 38-second scoreless drought with a lefty finish over Humphries inside; as difficult as it is to believe, the ensuing free throw brought the Magic to within one.</p>
<p>After Vaughn used that 20-second timeout, the Magic surrendered only three points the rest of the period and closed with a 66-64 lead. Nelson's step-back triple with 33 seconds to play served as the go-ahead basket. Given the prolonged scoring drought Orlando suffered, it certainly had to count itself lucky to hold that edge.</p>
<p>A fast-break layup by <span>Avery Bradley</span> put Boston ahead by three with 8:06 to play, but Afflalo answered in short order by drilling his second three-pointer of the game to even the score.</p>
<p>Afflalo made another key play moments later when he properly read Boston's hard trap as he came off a screen on the left side of the floor in floppy action. He immediately fed Davis diving to the rim for a two-handed slam to give the Magic an 80-79 lead with 5:09 to play.</p>
<p>The seventh-year swingman continued his strong play by drawing a foul on Green and converting two foul shots, and then finding Davis for another layup just one possession later. That basket put Orlando up by three points.</p>
<p>With 1:16 to play, Rondo curled off a baseline screen and rattled in a jumper off a Green feed to put Boston ahead by an 89-87 margin, its first lead since Rondo's previous basket gave it a one-point lead with 5:58 to play.</p>
<p>Afflalo answered out of a Magic timeout with a brilliant play, getting his shoulders past Green on the drive--Green had cheated off him a bit to account for Nelson driving to the baseline, and once Afflalo caught the ball, Green closed out too aggressively--and scooping the ball in to re-tie the score. Davis hauled in an errant Rondo jumper on Boston's next play and Nelson drew a foul on Sullinger as he drove the lane. Orlando's co-captain drilled both free throws to put Orlando up two with 35.3 to go.</p>
<p>Boston responded with an even better play as Green found himself open under the rim for a layup, plus the foul on Afflalo. Green, who had made 13 of his previous 14 free throws in the game, missed the and-one opportunity and the rebound squirted loose. Orlando collected the carom and called for time before the Celtics could force a held-ball call, much to the chagrin of Boston coach <span>Brad Stevens</span>.</p>
<p>Nelson's three-point try on Orlando's ensuing possession bounced off wide right, but Humphries fouled Harris as the two bigs jostled for rebounding position. As Orlando had worked its way into the bonus, the foul meant two free throws for Harris. He converted both to give Orlando the lead. Boston would have possession with 10.1 seconds to go.</p>
<p>The Magic's defense suffocated Boston on its final possession, with Bradley unable to even get a shot off before time expired.</p>
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https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/1/19/5325748/boston-celtics-orlando-magic-final-score-2014-arron-afflalo-kris-humphriesEvan Dunlap2014-01-19T16:00:01-05:002014-01-19T16:00:01-05:00Magic vs. Celtics GameThread
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<img alt="Kris Humphries" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SRj2IbWLgQo5iQoHwBPBZcaPBs8=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27088431/20140115_ajl_sj7_214.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kris Humphries | Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Orlando hosts Boston on Sunday looking to pick up its first victory of 2014.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Orlando Magic</a> conclude a three-game homestand Sunday against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> at Amway Center.</p>
<p>Game time is 6:00 PM on Fox Sports Florida and ESPN 580 AM.</p>
<p>Register all your pre- and in-game comments in this GameThread. </p>
<p><strong>Do not <u>ask for</u>, <u>mention</u>, or <u>link to</u> any sites or services that provide video streams for this game</strong>. Doing so will result in a disciplinary action.</p>
<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" align="center" cellpadding="5"><tbody> <tr> <th align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3">2013/2014 NBA Season</th> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/incurock31/3QC/Logos%20non-gifs/BOS__zps7058ac00.jpg" width="120" height="80" alt="Boson Celtics main logo"></center></td> <th align="center" width="20">@</th> <td width="240"><center><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/incurock31/3QC/Logos%20non-gifs/ORL__zps606f5ea5.jpg" width="120" height="80" alt="Orlando Magic main logo"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center>14-27 (5-15 road)<br>Lost 1</center></td> <th align="center" width="20"></th> <td width="240"><center>10-30 (7-13 home)<br>Lost 10</center></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3"><strong>January 19th, 2014</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>Amway Center</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>6:00 PM</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>Fox Sports Florida / 580 AM</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <th align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3"><strong>Possible Starters</strong></th> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240" bgcolor="gold"><span>Rajon Rondo</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">PG</th> <td width="240"><span>Jameer Nelson</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Avery Bradley</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SG</th> <td width="240"><span>Victor Oladipo</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Jeff Green</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SF</th> <td width="240"><span>Arron Afflalo</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Jared Sullinger</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">PF</th> <td width="240"><span>Tobias Harris</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Kris Humphries</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">C</th> <td width="240"><span>Glen Davis</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3"><strong>Advanced Stats, via NBA.com/stats</strong></th> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240">96.0 (18th)</td> <th align="center" width="20">Pace</th> <td width="240">96.3 (16th)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240">98.9 (24th)</td> <th align="center" width="20">ORtg</th> <td width="240">98.2 (26th)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240">103.4 (16th)</td> <th align="center" width="20">DRtg</th> <td width="240">104.2 (19th)</td> </tr> <tr><th height="20" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"></th></tr> </tbody></table>
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https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/1/19/5323906/magic-vs-celtics-game-time-tv-schedule-and-moreEvan Dunlap2014-01-19T09:00:29-05:002014-01-19T09:00:29-05:00Oladipo embraces Rondo challenge
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<img alt="Rajon Rondo" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U0I7h2hWr0EWbrdg88No2iJz_zw=/306x566:2779x2215/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27050867/463366803.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rajon Rondo | Jared Wickerham</figcaption>
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<p>The Magic rookie and the Celtics legend face off for the first time Sunday, and Oladipo is looking forward to the matchup.</p> <p><span>Victor Oladipo</span> has faced the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> twice in his rookie season, but Sunday's rematch will mark the first time the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Orlando Magic</a> guard matches up across from Boston's <span>Rajon Rondo</span>, the All-Star point guard who <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/1/18/5322072/rajon-rondo-boston-celtics-knee-injury" target="blank">made his season début</a> Friday after missing more than 29 million seconds--<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/1/14/5307162/rajon-rondo-celtics-return-acl-tweet" target="blank">but who's counting?</a>--with an ACL injury.</p>
<p>Oladipo, a fiery competitor, said Friday he's looking forward to playing Rondo, whom he's watched "ever since he was at Kentucky." He gushed about several of Rondo's skills, listing the ones he admires most.</p>
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<p>"His ability to score, even when people go under him [on screens]. That's one thing that I still think I have to work on. He's perfected it," Oladipo said. "His ability to get everybody involved, but still be aggressive at the same time. The way he plays defense. The way he leads his team."</p>
<p>Though no one will ever confuse Oladipo for Rondo--their games are too dissimilar, with Oladipo a more aggressive scorer and Rondo a more natural playmaker and handler--there's no question that the Indiana product can learn from the four-time All-Star. In addition to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/9/30/4690666/rajon-rondo-boston-celtics-analysis-video" target="blank">finding ways to score even when defenders give him space</a>, Rondo's creativity in finding passing angles merits Oladipo's attention. The Magic rookie, <a href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2013/12/28/5250872/orlando-magic-news-victor-oladipo-point-guard-nba">transitioning from collegiate shooting guard to NBA point guard</a>, looks comfortable making easy passes out of the pick-and-pop, but is less effective making plays for others on his forays to the rim.</p>
<p>Sunday's tipoff between Oladipo's Magic and Rondo's Celtics is set for 6 PM on Fox Sports Florida. Given where Orlando and Boston stand in their respective rebuilds, the game could offer a preview of future, higher-stakes showdowns between the dynamic guards.</p>
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https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/1/19/5321828/boston-celtics-orlando-magic-victor-oladipo-rajon-rondo-nba-newsEvan Dunlap