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Celtics 109, Magic 92: Rondo spearheads balanced output

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- On the day that his name made its annual return to trade whispers, Boston Celtics captain Rajon Rondo spearheaded Boston's balanced production by registering 13 points, 15 assists, and 7 rebounds during a 109-92 triumph over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at TD Garden.

Rondo was flirting with his fourth triple-double of the year in the first half (7 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) and got an extended second-half rest as backup Phil Pressey (9 points, 4 assists) helped Boston open the game up in the fourth quarter.

Brandon Bass led the double-figure scoring party with 18 points off the Boston bench. Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger scored 16 points apiece, while Kelly Olynyk -- fresh off a 30-point effort on Monday in Philadelphia -- added 15 points and 6 rebounds.

The Magic led by as much as 10 in the first half, but a second-quarter surge helped Boston pull ahead before the intermission.

A Yahoo! Sports report on Wednesday suggested the Celtics had shown an “increased willingness” to trade Rondo, but inspired efforts like the one produced on Wednesday remind you of his value.

• Goodbye, Sully's slump: Jared Sullinger, who had scored just 15 points on 6 of 31 shooting (19.4 percent) over his past four games, broke out for 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting over 24 minutes.

• Best basket that didn't count: Call it Air Canada after Celtics second-year big man Kelly Olynyk got some serious air for a post-whistle dunk in the second quarter. Not to be outdone, Rajon Rondo went behind his back from the blocks for a post-whistle make later in the frame.

• Best basket that did count: Olynyk got his man with a pump fake then dunked over both Kyle O'Quinn and Mo Harkless early in the fourth quarter, leaving the entire Boston bench tumbling onto the floor in delight at another delivery from Air Canada.

• Loose balls: The Celtics dressed only 11 players and stuck with a 10-man rotation. Rookie Dwight Powell did not play. ... Boston shot 55 percent from the floor overall (44 of 80).

• What it means: The Celtics improved to 9-14, while the Magic fall to 10-18. ... Boston gets a practice day Thursday before hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
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5 THINGS WE LEARNED TONIGHT

WEEI

By Julian Edlow | 0 Comments

After putting a stop to their three-game skid in Philly, the Celtics grabbed another win at the TD Garden against the Magic on Wednesday night, 109-92 (click here for the box score). The home squad outscored Orlando 31-19 in the fourth quarter to close out the game, something the team has struggled with so far this season.

Brandon Bass led the Celtics with 18 points off the bench, while Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green each had 16 points.

Here’s five things we learned in the win:

RAJON RONDO SHOT WELL IN A NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE EFFORT

On a night when trade rumors surrounding Rondo came to light, the point guard came to play. Rondo shot an efficient 6-for-12 from the field en route to 13 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds. Despite six turnovers, Rondo had fantastic command of the game. For one of the first times this season, it seemed he had control over both him scoring the ball and getting his teammates involved — a great sign from Rondo.

THE BIGS GOT TO WORK EARLY

Tyler Zeller scored a quick four points for the Celtics on the first two possessions of the game, followed by nine straight Sullinger points. On the opposite side, Nikola Vucevic and Channing Frye combined for 13 of their own points, all before the halfway point of the first quarter.

After the centers scored the first 10 points of the game, Zeller put in another hoop for his sixth point of the quarter, but it was Vucevic who won the early battle. He finished the frame with 12 points and eights boards, putting on display why he is a candidate to make the All-Star team for the East.

HOT FINISH TO THE FIRST HALF

After falling down by eight points in the second quarter, 43-35, the C’s rallied back to take a lead into the locker room. Rondo and Kelly Olynyk led a 21-10 run to round out the half and get Boston a 56-53 lead. The C’s hit seven of their final 10 shots in the half to spark the run. Olynyk scored eight points in the period, while Rondo posted five points, six rebounds and four assists in just over six minutes on the floor.

THE BENCH WAS STRONG AGAIN

It wasn’t quite the 82-point performance we saw against the Wizards, but the Celtics’ bench was key in their win over the Magic. Even without the likes rookies Marcus Smart and James Young, as well as streaky bench scorer Marcus Thornton, the C’s were still able to get great contributions from the second-unit.

Four players combine for 50 points off the Boston bench: Bass (18) Olynyk (15), Phil Pressey (9) and Evan Turner (. The foursome played well into the fourth quarter after giving the team such a great spark in the third. Pressey even played the entire fourth quarter, something very rare in Brad Stevens‘ rotation.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SCHEDULE

After a brutal November where the Celtics played almost all playoff teams, the schedule appeared to ease up on the C’s in December. An unexpected three-game losing streak had it looking like things may not turn around this month, but Boston has now won two in a row. The wins have come against poor opponents (Philadelphia and Orlando), but the green will go on to face teams under .500 in their next four contests. Here’s their stretch to fight back towards .500 if they’re going to do it.

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