National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 87, Orlando 56
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, January 23, 2012
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #51 Leroy Richardson, # Scott Twardoski, #49 Tom Washington
Attendance: 18624

Paul Pierce collected 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds and the short-handed Boston Celtics used a dominating defensive effort to crush the visiting Orlando Magic, 87-56, on Monday.

Brandon Bass added 19 points and eight rebounds and Kevin Garnett chipped in 14 and 10 to go along with five steals for the Celtics, who have won back-to-back games.

Boston held the Magic to four field goals and 15 percent shooting in the second half. Orlando managed 24.6 percent (16 of 65) from the floor overall - its lowest mark ever against the Celtics. Only Dwight Howard, with 18 points on 4-of-15 shooting, reached double figures for the Magic.

Orlando’s 56 points marked a franchise low.

The Celtics were without Rajon Rondo for the third straight game due to a wrist injury while Ray Allen (ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (shoulder) sat after suffering injuries in Sunday’s win over the Washington Wizards.

Boston was clinging to a 34-33 lead with 3:00 left in the second quarter when it began to pull away, closing the half with a 12-3 burst to take a 46-36 lead into the break.

Orlando had nothing in the second half, looking sloppy with 23 turnovers and no rhythm offensively.
Top Game Performances
 
Orlando   Boston
Dwight Howard 18 Scoring Brandon Bass 19
Dwight Howard 3 Assists Paul Pierce 7
Dwight Howard 14 Rebounds Kevin Garnett 10
Dwight Howard 10 Free Throws Made Paul Pierce 6
Jason Richardson 2 Steals Kevin Garnett 5
Earl Clark 1 Blocks Kevin Garnett 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Orlando 56 24.6 4-16 20-30 12 44 6 5 25
Boston 87 42.3 2-13 19-19 21 46 9 13 15
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Orlando. The Celtics have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Orlando will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Magic have a W/L % of .583 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.