Boston Celtics: Celtics Get Help From Rookie Moore to Defeat Orlando

After defeating the Orlando Magic earlier in the week 87-56, the Celtics were going to get another shot at the Magic this time, on the road though. The Magic were seeking revenge after an embarrassing effort earlier this week in Boston. However it was a tale of two halves as the Boston Celtics were able to come from behind (being down by 27 points) and hold on for the victory.

The Celtics have struggled somewhat this season in part with injuries to their key players, as well as being a veteran team trying to survive the compact NBA schedule. As a result, there have been some games where the Celtics look wonderful, and then there are times when they appear to not be in sink, and do not have their “legs.”

However the Celtics struggled in the first half of the game scoring a total of 37 points and being out-rebounded able to focus and come out with a victory on the road against the Orlando Magic. The Boston Celtics were down big to the Orlando Magic last night on the road and having to rely on their bench more due to injuries to starters Rajon Rondo (point guard), Ray Allen (shooting guard) and Jermaine O’Neal (center).

The Celtics went with a starting lineup of Kevin Garnett, former Magic forward Brandon Bass, Paul Pierce, Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley. Head coach Doc Rivers went to his bench often as he was looking to keep his players fresh.

The Celtics were able to get a boost from rookie guard E’Twaun Moore who scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and went 4-4 from the three-point line in 18 minutes of playing time. Moore was able to take advantage of double-teams (playing of Paul Pierce) and was open on the wing and made the three-point shots when it mattered most. Moore was the unlikely hero but was able to take advantage of playing time without Rondo and Allen on board.

The Orlando Magic struggled to find their offense in the second-half and the Celtics defense pressured them into taking hurried shots with the shot clock winding down. The next time these two teams play each other is on April 18th, and it should be interesting to see how both rosters look and too see if playoff implications are on the line.