Down 10 at halftime, Gordon, Ross lead 2nd-half surge to stop skid at 4
The Orlando Magic Celtics away.
Turns out all they had to do was hang on. The Magic turned up the defense when they needed it and rode a big game from Aaron Gordon and the perimeter shooting of Terrence Ross to earn a 105-103 victory over the Celtics Saturday at Amway Center.
Gordon finished with a game-high 28 points and Ross had 25 to lead the Magic, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Evan Fournier had 18 points and Nikola Vucevic had 16 points for the Magic, who are now 2-0 against the Celtics this season.
Kyrie Irving scored 24 points to lead the Celtics, who put six players in double figures.
Gordon and Ross each scored seven points during a 19-4 run as the Magic surged to a 91-84 lead with 5:57 to play. couldn’t put the Boston
The Celtics closed within 102-99 after a Marcus Morris basket inside with 57.8 seconds left, but the Magic responded with a score from Vucevic.
After two Irving free throws made it 104-101, the Magic turned it over in front of their bench. They fouled Irving, who sank the ensuing free throws to make it 104-103 with 10.2 seconds left.
The Magic nearly turned it over amid the Celtics’ defensive pressure before the ball ended up in Vucevic’s hands. He was fouled and hit one of two free throws, giving the Celtics a chance. Jayson Tatum’s contested shot from the corner was off the mark as time expired and the Magic emerged victorious.
Orlando struggled earlier in the contest. The Magic couldn’t get any traction after watching the Celtics erase a nine-point deficit in the second quarter and trailed by 10 at halftime. The lead was eight before the Magic’s decisive fourth-quarter run.