Boston plays Orlando in conference battle

Published

Orlando Magic (40-40, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (48-32, fourth in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Sunday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Boston and Orlando meet at the TD Garden.

The Celtics have gone 34-16 against Eastern Conference teams. Boston ranks third in the Eastern Conference shooting 36.5 percent from downtown, led by Kyrie Irving shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range.

The Magic have gone 15-24 away from home. Orlando is third in the Eastern Conference giving up just 106.5 points and holding opponents to 45.5 percent shooting. The Magic defeated the Celtics 105-103 in their last meeting on Jan. 12. Aaron Gordon led Orlando with 28 points and Irving paced Boston scoring 25 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Irving leads the Celtics averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers and scoring 23.8 points per game while shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. Aron Baynes has averaged 6.2 rebounds and added 6.3 points per game over the last 10 games for Boston.

Nikola Vucevic leads the Magic with 12.0 rebounds and averages 20.8 points. Terrence Ross has averaged 3.5 made 3-pointers and scored 15.3 points over the last 10 games for Orlando.

LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 8-2, averaging 115.7 points, 49.8 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.8 points on 46.5 percent shooting.

Celtics: 5-5, averaging 109.8 points, 43.8 rebounds, 24.6 assists, seven steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.3 points on 45.2 percent shooting.

Celtics Injuries: Guerschon Yabusele: day to day (foot), Jaylen Brown: day to day (back), Al Horford: day to day (knee), Terry Rozier: day to day (illness).

Magic Injuries: Mo Bamba: out (left tibia fracture), Markelle Fultz: out (shoulder/wrist), Timofey Mozgov: out (knee).