The Boston Celtics are known for their stifling defense, and they showed that off this afternoon against the Orlando Magic. In an appetizer before Super Bowl XLV, the Celtics held the Magic to 34-percent shooting in a 91-80 win.
Magic Vs. Celtics: Rajon Rondo Stars As Boston Downs Cold-Shooting Orlando 91-80
Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics with 26 points and seven assists, knifing through the Magic’s defense on many pick and roll plays. Orlando played him to pass, and he responded by being a scorer. Paul Pierce added 18 points, and Kendrick Perkins grabbed 13 rebounds in his second start after knee surgery.
The Magic’s offense just fell apart in the second half. Dwight Howard scored 22 points in the first half, but did not even have a field goal in the second half until the closing seconds. The Magic shot just 3-24 from three-point range, and their top five perimeter players -- Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, J.J. Redick and Gilbert Arenas -- shot a combined 13-50 from the field.
The game was marred by a scary incident in the second quarter when Boston’s Marquis Daniels was taken off on a stretcher and moved to the hospital with a neck injury.
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