Boston Celtics Gameday: Celtics look to wand off Magic in Orlando

The Boston Celtics (7-2) continue their three-game road trip Sunday night against Aaron Gordon and the Orlando Magic (6-3) at the Amway Center.

The Boston Celtics will have another test Sunday night when they take on a surprising Orlando Magic team led by forward Aaron Gordon.

While the Celtics are riding high of a nice comeback win against the Oklahoma Thunder, the Magic enter the game coming off a blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls.  Both teams sit atop the Eastern Conference, but the Magic aren’t expected to stay there as the season moves forward.

That doesn’t mean the Celtics won’t be in for a tough one. Magic head coach Frank Vogel will have his team ready and they should be up for the challenge against Boston.

Al Horford vs. Aaron Gordon

One of the key matchups will be Al Horford going up against young Magic forward Aaron Gordon.  Both players are having great seasons shooting the ball, especially from beyond the arc. 

Gordon, who is averaging 19.3 points, is shooting 58.1 percent from the three-point stripe.  With his ability to drive to the hope, Horford will really have to be on his game defensively.  Aaron Gordon is no Giannis Antekokounmpo, but he does possess similar skills.  In that respect, Horford will have some experience from Boston’s previous two matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks.

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When:  Friday, November 5, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. ET

Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida

Live Stream: Watch NBC Sports, fuboTV

Game Notes

The Boston Celtics lost 2 out of 3 games to the Orlando Magic in head-to-head matchups last season.  Although this is a different and more athletic Celtics team, they have had trouble going up against the Magic down in Orlando.  Hopefully, they will get one on the road to start off the head-to-head matchups this season.

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Projected starting lineup

G – Kyrie Irving

G – Jaylen Brown

F- Jayson Tatum

F – Al Horford

C – Aron Baynes

Who’s Hot

Al Horford is coming off a whale of a second-half performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  He continued to work his chemistry with Kyrie Irving as both veteran stars led the team to a nice comeback win against one of the Western Conference elite teams.

The versatile big man has been especially effective from beyond the stripe.  In Saturday night’s game, he was 5-for-5 from downtown.  His clutch shooting helped get the team back in the game against the Thunder and ultimately sealed the deal late in the fourth quarter.

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Prediction

This game is not as tough as the game in Oklahoma City Saturday night on paper, but the Orlando Magic are a dangerous team.  With forward Aaron Gordon and underrated center Nikola Vucevic playing at a high level, the Celtics must come into this game focused from the start.  They can’t rely on another second-half comeback.

The Celtics get off running early in this one and hold on at the end to record their eighth consecutive victory.

Boston Celtics 105, Orlando Magic 93.