ORLANDO, Fla. -- A lot of teams in the NBA talk about winning with defense.

The Boston Celtics actually are doing it.

The Celtics won their eighth consecutive game Sunday night with another impressive defensive performance, smothering the Orlando Magic 104-88 at the Amway Center.

The Celtics (8-2) have built the best record in the NBA by allowing the fewest points in the league (93.2 per game).

"It's been the story for us in the first two weeks," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "We've been pretty consistent defensively. Offensively, we've got a ways to go."

Second-year guard Jaylen Brown led Boston's well-balanced attack with 18 points. Al Horford had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum scored 13 points, and Marcus Morris, in his first start of the season after returning from a knee injury, had 12 points and seven boards. Kyrie Irving and reserve Marcus Smart each scored 11. Irving added five assists.

"Defensively, we did a great job again tonight," Horford said. "That's what carried us to the win. Offensively, we're still trying to figure things out a little bit."

Aaron Gordon led the Magic (6-4) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jonathon Simmons had 14 points for Orlando, and Nikola Vucevic contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

The Magic came into the game shooting an NBA-best 42.1 percent from 3-point range, but they hit only 6 of 29 (20.7 percent) Sunday. They shot just 36.3 percent (33 of 91) from the field.

"The key defensively is we make them do (offensively) what we want them to do," Smart said. "We're in a good place right now with that."

The Celtics grabbed the lead late in the first quarter and never lost it, turning back each Magic charge with a stepped-up defensive effort. The Magic closed within four points in the third quarter but never got closer than six at the beginning of the fourth.

"Credit the Boston defense," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "They take you out of your first stuff, your first look, and you have to be patient against that. We didn't exercise great shot selection or patience."

Evan Fournier, the Magic's leading scorer this season, made only 2 of 14 shots for six points. Starting forward Terrance Ross hit only 2 of 12 shots for nine points.

The Magic have played the last two games without point guards Elfrid Payton (hamstring) and backup D.J. Augustin. They started Shelvin Mack in Friday's loss to Chicago and used Simmons at that spot Sunday. Mack had eight points and three assists as a reserve.

"That disrupts the rhythm big time. He (Simmons) is not a point guard," Fournier said. "It's tough. He (Simmons) is not used to being there."

The Celtics built an 87-71 lead by opening the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run, sparked by a quick six from Morris around the basket. The Magic never seriously challenged again.

The Celtics, who have been inconsistent on offense this season with a rebuilt roster, shot 43.8 percent (39 of 89). They outrebounded the Magic 54-45. The Celtics also had 10 steals.

The Celtics led 77-69 going into the fourth quarter after Brown carried them with 11 points in the third.

Simmons completed two 3-point plays in the third quarter, helping the Magic to close within four points. But that was as close as they came in the second half.

The Celtics led 49-38 at intermission despite shooting just 41 percent from the field. They dominated early by disrupting the Magic, who hit just 15 of 46 shots (32.6 percent) in the first half.

Irving missed all four of his 3-point attempts in the first two quarters but still led the Celtics early with 10 points. He scored only one point in the second half.

Gordon had 10 first-half points for the Magic, including eight in the last four minutes of the second quarter. The Celtics led by as many as 13 points in the first half.

NOTES: Celtics F Marcus Morris, who missed the first eight games with a sore left knee, played a key role in reserve Friday night in his season debut before starting Sunday. As a precaution, he is not expected to play Monday in Atlanta. ... F Jonathon Simmons also got his first start as the Magic went without a true point guard. Elfrid Payton, who was expected to be the starter this season, missed his eighth consecutive game with a lingering sore hamstring. He is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday against the Knicks. The Magic started PG Shelvin Mack on Friday, but he did not play well and so Simmons replaced him. ... The Celtics became the first team in NBA history to win eight consecutive games after opening the season with two consecutive losses.