The Boston Celtics absolutely smothered the Orlando Magic in the second half on Monday, winning 87-56 after holding the visitors to just 20 points after halftime. The Magic finished the game shooting just 16-of-65 (24.5 percent) from the field, setting new franchise lows for both points and field goals.
Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass paced the Celtics with 19 points apiece. Pierce collected a game-high seven assists, while Bass notched eight rebounds. Kevin Garnett scored 14 points with 10 boards.
The Magic were cold in the first half, shooting just 11-for-38 (28.9 percent), but instead of heating up they actually managed to grow colder, making just 5-of-27 (18.5 percent) attempts the rest of the way. They scored just 10 points in each of the final two quarters, allowing the Celtics to pull away for an easy win.
Dwight Howard scored 18 points with 14 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu added seven points while Glen Davis scored six. No one else on the team scored more than five in this historically awful performance.
The loss dropped Orlando to 11-5, tied with the Miami Heat for second place in the Southeast Division. They don't have to wait long to dwell on their putrid performance, flying overnight to Indiana to face the Pacers on Tuesday. The Celtics improved to 7-9, staying ahead of the Knicks for sole possession of second place in the Atlantic. They don't play again until Thursday, when they travel to Orlando for a rematch.
For more on the Magic, be sure to visit Orlando Pinstriped Post. For more on the Celtics, check out Celtics Blog. For more on the basketball world in general, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
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