Celtics (9-3) vs. Orlando (9-3)
Game time: 8pm, TD Garden. TV – CSN, ESPN. Radio – WEEI-AM (850)
Team Leaders
Scoring
Bos: Pierce – 18.4 Magic: Dwight Howard – 18.1
Rebounding
Bos: Garnett – 7.3 Magic: Howard – 10.7
Assists
Bos: Rondo – 9.0 Magic: Jason Williams – 4.1
Who'll go off: Kevin Garnett. He's shooting 60% from the field in the last four games and I expect that to continue. Anyone else think KG wants to make a statement to Orlando? Look for Rajon Rondo to attack Jason Williams, the Magic starting point guard now that Jameer Nelson is out 4-6 weeks.
Who needs to be stopped: A tough call because the Magic are so versatile. I'm going to pick the Magic bench. Like the Celtics, this team is deep. I believe the Celtics can survive big games from Dwight Howard and/or Rashard Lewis. They'll need to contain the likes of Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Marcin Gortat and J.J. Redick.
The C's will lose if… they don't attack the glass. It's been a common theme over the past week. Fortunately, the Magic are having their own troubles rebounding.
Wildcard: Will the Celtics three-point shooting come back to life? It could, especially since Orlando is allowing opponents to shoot 38% from beyond the arc. Plus, Eddie, Sheed and Ray are all due for a big time, bombs away display.
Prediction: Celtics 99 – Magic 93
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