Game 6 Preview: Celtics at Magic

Jeff Green and the Celtics will look to win consecutive games tonight
for the first time this season.

After winning their first game on Wednesday night, the Celtics (1-4) will look to begin their first winning streak of the season tonight when they take on the Orlando Magic (3-2).

Orlando has gotten off to a surprisingly good start. After dropping their first two games of the season, the Magic have won three straight, including two against the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. They are the best rebounding team in the league, and they rank among the top ten in points scored and points allowed per game.

Suffice to say, this Orlando team has worked some magic in the early going. Try the veil, I'm here 'til April 20.

Here's a preview:


Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jordan Crawford
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Vitor Faverani

Magic:
Jameer Nelson
Arron Afflalo
Maurice Harkless
Jason Maxiell
Nikola Vucevic


Keys to the game:

1. Make this a battle: Tonight is a matchup of two very good defensive teams. Orlando is holding opponents to under 40% shooting on the year, while the Celtics are only allowing 93.4 points per contest, which is good for second-best in the entire league. Orlando has six players averaging over 10 points per game. The Celtics cannot allow the entire team to beat them. They need to focus on shutting down two guys -- Jameer Nelson and Andrew Nicholson would be the two to pick -- and managing the rest of Orlando's offensive attack.

2. Beyond the arc: Boston is holding opponents to 3.8 three-pointers per game, good for the top spot in the league. Orlando is shooting 41.8% from long range, seventh-best in the league. Brad Stevens and his crew have stressed defending the three-point line from day one, and that needs to be a point of emphasis tonight.