The Boston Celtics picked up a 128-111 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night, exorcising the demons that haunted them in previous matchups. Orlando had gotten the best of Boston earlier in the season, picking up a 17-point victory over the guys in green in the In-Season Tournament. But on Friday night, Boston completely turned the tide.
On a night when Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Dalan o Banton were all out, Lamar Stevens got the start, and the bench stepped up in a big way. All night long, the Celtics found little ways to get the best of their newfound rivals.
It was a seemingly well-rounded performance, though the box score may not explain that, and while the Magic had some solid performances of their own, they couldn’t handle Boston’s bench stepping up in the manner it did on Friday night.