The streaking Boston Celtics get set to take on the upstart Orlando Magic Friday night inside the TD Garden in Boston, MA. They jump it up at 7:30 pm. Boston has shown early on this season they are one of the most talented teams in the entire league. They have high expectations this season and feel they can be the team to beat coming out of the Eastern Conference. 

 

Bookmaker has installed the Celtics as a solid 6-point favorite. 

 

 

The Celtics have been on a tear of late, as they have won two straight and five of six overall as they entered action heading into Thursday night and they now find themselves 10 games over .500. They have one of the deepest benches in the league and they have several stars as part of their starting five. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics and they have formed a wonderful 1-2 punch. 

 

Tatum averages 27 points per game and has clearly defined himself as the face of the franchise. He does a fantastic job of putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket. He also adds eight rebounds per contest to go along with just under five assists per game. 

 

Brown is a great partner for him because he understands his role on the floor and does the dirty work for Boston, which does a great job on the boards. 

 

The Celtics connected on 57% from the floor, including 36% from beyond the arc. They have a ton of solid shooters they can send out there, but what makes them dangerous is that they can push the ball up the floor. 

 

 

The Magic have won two straight after a brief two-game losing streak and they have been on a tear overall and have clearly shown they are an emerging team. They have won 11 out of 12 overall. They have depth and they have a solid young core and nucleus lead by Paolo Banchero who is playing at such a high level. He is averaging close to 20 points per contest and is a big-time player.

 

Orlando has some nice complementary players as well. Cole Anthony has emerged as a nice piece too and he is contributing 15 points per contest. He gives the Magic some solid minutes too. 

 

The Magic connected on 57% from the floor thus far this season, while connecting on 34% from three-point land. They can push the ball and the tempo and this could be a high-scoring game too. 

 

 

The Celtics are 4-1 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the number. They are 2-7 in their road games against the spread and the totals have gone over in three out of their last five games. The Magic are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are also 6-4 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games.