Game 14 Preview: Celtics at Magic

The Celtics (7-6) will take their talents to Central Florida to take on the Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic (5-7).

Boston is coming off it's best win of the season Friday night against the Thunder, while Orlando is coming off a victory over the Cavaliers. After starting the season 2-5, the Magic have won two straight and look to carry that momentum and continue their home cooking against a Celtic team that is still looking for its identity.

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Jason Terry
Paul Pierce
Brandon Bass
Kevin Garnett

Magic:
Jameer Nelson
Arron Afflalo
Moe Harkless
Glen Davis
Nikola Vucevic


Keys to the game:

1. Green needs to keep it going: Jeff Green had a really good game on Friday night. Now comes the challenging part: can he do it again? That was Doc Rivers's question to his whole team after the win, but it most definitely applies to Green. After scoring 16 points on November 14, he followed that up with a dud the very next night: 5 nights and a season-high 4 turnovers in Brooklyn. Consistency has always been Green's biggest issue. Hopefully, Green can keep it going tonight.

2. The replacements: It's a matchup of the two guys who were traded for each other: Brandon Bass and Glen Davis. Both players have faired well since their changes of scenery. The ever-popular "Big Baby" Davis is averaging 12.1 points and 7.2 rebounds a game in his time with Orlando while Bass is averaging 11 points and 5.7 boards a contest as a member of the Celtics. This is definitely a matchup to watch.

3. Watch the defense: Although they gave up 100 points on Friday, the Celtics defense did show improvements. They made life difficult for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and that's all you could ask for against the Thunder. Orlando is now slouch on the defensive end: they're 8th in the league in points allowed at 93.5 a game. It may be a bit difficult for the Celtics to score tonight, so they'll need to bring the same effort defensively they brought on Friday if they want to win this game.