Shorthanded Celtics handle Magic, 92-83
Terry Rozier and Greg Monroe each scored 17 points and Al Horford scored 15 and had nine rebounds in his return as the shorthanded Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 92-83 on Friday night in Orlando, Fla.
Rozier added seven rebounds and five assists. Abdel Nader contributed 11 points and Shane Larkin added 10 for the Celtics, who snapped a two-game losing streak despite shooting just 37.8 percent for the game.
"We didn't make a ton of shots, but our first-half and third-quarter defense was pretty darn good," Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters.
Shelvin Mack finished with 16 points and seven rebounds to lead Orlando. D.J. Augustin and Jonathon Simmons added 13 apiece, Nikola Vucevic had 12 and Mario Hezonja 11 as the Magic lost for the sixth time in seven games after snapping a five-game skid Wednesday against the Bucks.
Horford missed the Celtics' last game, a double-overtime 125-124 loss to Washington on Wednesday, because of an illness. Boston was without leading scorer Kyrie Irving for the second straight game on Friday as he rested due to left knee soreness.
Jaylen Brown (concussion) and Marcus Smart (thumb) were also sidelined for the Celtics.
Meanwhile, the Magic were without leading scorer Aaron Gordon. He missed his fifth straight game with a concussion despite speculation that he would make his return on Friday versus Boston.
Boston led 48-31 at halftime after ending the second quarter on a 15-4 run.
A 27-point third period boosted the Celtics lead, but the Magic outscored the visitors 31-17 in the fourth to make the game competitive.
Boston led by as many as 24 in the game, while Orlando's biggest advantage was two.
Before the game, the Celtics announced that Smart had undergone successful surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. The team said he is expected to return to basketball activities within six to eight weeks.
Boston caps a quick two-game road trip Sunday in New Orleans. Orlando continues its seven-game homestand Tuesday against Eastern Conference-leading Toronto.
--Field Level Media
