Two of the leading sides in the Eastern Conference of the NBA will lock horns at TD Garden on Saturday as the Boston Celtics entertain the challenge of the Orlando Magic.
A return to winning ways will be the major objective for both teams in Massachusetts this weekend off the back of respective defeats in their most recent outings.
Match preview
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In one of the biggest upsets of the season so far, defending champions Boston Celtics fell to a 110-97 defeat against a lottery-pick-bound Toronto Raptors side in Thursday's encounter at the Scotiabank Arena.
Up by four points after the first quarter, Joe Mazzulla's men were on course to claim an 11th straight win against the Raptors, who, however, rallied in the remaining 36 minutes of action to claim a 13-point victory.
While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown largely underwhelmed with 16 and 10 points respectively, Payton Pritchard continued his charge for the Sixth Man of the Year award by tallying 20 points off the bench on an impressive 7-11 shooting.
Now over six games shy of frontrunners Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are faced with an uphill task of retaining their number one seed from last season just shy of the midway point this term.
Posting a 4-3 record across their seven matches in 2025, the Celtics are yet to fully recover from a festive hangover that saw them lose four of their final seven games last year off the back of five wins in six prior.
Returning to their home court, where they have blown hot and cold of late after a fast start, Saturday's hosts will be keen to get themselves back on track in the first of two consecutive games against playoff contenders.
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Having been provided with a quick opportunity to exact revenge, the Orlando Magic came up short against the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time in five days when the teams went head to head at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday.
Jamahl Mosley's men were found wanting at both ends of the court as they gave up their highest points in a game since November (122), while also recording one of their fewest points in a game this term with 93.
Despite a tough outing for his side, Paolo Banchero continued his fine return to action from an oblique injury as he posted a team-high 22 points, albeit on a slightly underwhelming 8-20 shooting from the field.
While the Magic remain fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, they have seen their advantage over the teams below them significantly diminish in recent weeks off the back of a 2-4 record over the last six games.
Still with the best defence in the league with 103.2 points allowed per game, Saturday's visitors just need to find a way to increase their offensive output of 104.8 points per game, which currently ranks bottom in the entire NBA.
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Team News
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The Boston Celtics have a clean bill of health for this weekend's encounter with no injury or suspension concerns at the moment.
Albeit in defeat, Jaylen Brown racked up 35 points in the most recent edition of this fixture, and the home side will need him back to his best after a rough outing against the Raptors.
Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner are both unavailable for the Orlando Magic, with the former sidelined with an oblique problem, while the latter is ruled out for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.
Guards Gary Harris and Jalen Suggs missed the defeat to the Bucks last time out through hamstring and back problems respectively, making them huge doubts to feature here.
Twenty-five-year-old Goga Bitadze also missed the aforementioned game due to a conclusion protocol, but the Georgian should be available for the trip to Boston.
Boston Celtics possible starting five:
Holiday, White; Tatum, Brown; Porzingis
Orlando Magic possible starting five:
Anthony, Caldwell-Pope; Da Silva, Banchero; Bitadze
We say: Celtics to win by 7+ points
The Celtics have not been at their best in recent matches, but neither have the Magic, who are currently dealing with multiple injuries to key players.
We are backing the home side to carry the day when all is said and done here.
Adepoju Marvellous
