Magic defeat Celtics for third straight win

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[November 30, 2015]  ORLANDO -- Getting benched may have been the best thing that could have happened to guard Victor Oladipo -- and for the Orlando Magic.

The Magic beat the Boston Celtics, 110-91, Sunday night, winning their third consecutive game since Oladipo went from unproductive starter to a stellar reserve, sparking a new aggressiveness in his game.

Oladipo had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists Sunday, giving the Magic (9-8) a holiday weekend sweep and a newfound confidence after three awful seasons in a rebuilding mode.

Oladipo had 24 points in the win Wednesday over New York and 17 points and nine assists Friday in the win over Milwaukee. In his three previous games as a starter, he scored 10, 11 and one point, respectively.

"I didn't know what to expect (with the lineup change)," he said. "But I knew I had to be more aggressive in this role. And that's when I'm at my best. I'm just playing my game."

The Magic (9-8) are above the .500 mark going into December for the first time since 2012.

Magic center Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 2:07 remaining. Forward Tobias Harris had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Reserve forward Andrew Nicholson had 14 points and eight rebounds.

"Victor should get a standing ovation for how he has handled the switch," said veteran Channing Frye, who replaced Oladipo in the starting lineup. "I didn't know what to expect, but this says a lot about him as a player and person. It's not easy sometimes for a young player to do what he has done."

The Magic outrebounded the Celtics, 54-34. They also grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. They shot 48.4 percent (45 of 93), while the Celtics hit only 36 of 88 shots (40.9 percent).

"Victor is playing very, very well right now, at a high level," Magic coach Scott Skiles said. "We're on a nice uptick now, and we hope to keep it going. But we all know how quickly things can change."

Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics (9-8) with 20 points and seven assists. Avery Bradley had 17 points. Jae Crowder had 12 points. David Lee had 11 points. They never seriously challenged once the Magic took control in the second period.

"If you look at the two teams right now, we've got a ways to go to catch them," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "They are playing better than we are. They were quicker to ball than us all night."

The Celtics, who came into the game leading the NBA in steals, had five steals in the first period, but only two the rest of the game. The Magic had eight turnovers in the first period, but only seven in the next three periods combined.

"We played from behind the whole game," Crowder said. "They came out, hit us in the mouth first, just played harder than us from the start. We didn't respond the way we should have."

The Magic led by as many as 21 points early in the fourth, but their shooting went cold, allowing the Celtics to cut the lead to 96-84 midway in the period when Thomas hit back-to-back baskets. The Celtics never got closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter.

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"To be honest, aggressiveness is a mindset," Bradley said. "You can't teach that. We just didn't come out with the sense of urgency that you need to have. You're not always going to shoot well, but you can always be aggressive, and we weren't tonight."

The Magic led 84-67 going into the fourth period. Frye, who didn't take a shot in the first half, hit two of his four 3-point attempts in the third period. Vucevic scored 10 points in the period.

The Magic scored 32 points in the second period for the 53-45 halftime lead. They struggled with eight turnovers in the first quarter, but followed with a hot-shooting second when they hit 13 of their next 17 shots.

Nicholson, who has worked his way into the regular rotation after hardly playing in the first few games, had 10 points by halftime. Oladipo had nine. Lee led the Celtics with 11 points in 10 minutes before intermission. Bradley had 10.

The Magic led 51-42 when Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer. The Celtics had tied the game at 35 on a 3-pointer by Lee, who scored nine consecutive Boston points.

Oladipo broke the tie with a 3-pointer and started an 18-10 run before halftime.



NOTES: The Celtics were without G Marcus Smart (lower leg injury), who had started eight of his nine games this season. He is expected to miss at least a week of action. ... Even before the game, the Magic clinched their first winning-record month (8-6) since March of 2012. ... Celtics coach Brad Stevens before the game compared Magic F Channing Frye and his 3-point shooting ability to Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver. Frye is averaging just 6.5 ppg. "You fear them like they are averaging 30," Stevens said. ... This was the start of a five-game road trip for the Celtics that will include a stop in Mexico City, where they will play Sacramento. "It will test how together we are as a unit," said F Jae Crowder. "It will be good for us." ... The Magic will leave Monday to start their own 10-day, five-game Western swing. ... Magic and Celtics came into the contest 1-2 in the NBA in field-goal attempts per game, averaging 89.3 and 88.8, respectively.

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