The Orlando Magic (23-19) will shut out their two-game street journey with a high-stakes matchup towards the Boston Celtics (28-12) Friday evening at TD Backyard. The nationally televised matchup on ESPN brings collectively two of the very best groups within the Jap Convention, with the Magic presently holding the fifth seed and the Celtics in second place. Forward of the competition, Orlando All-Star ahead Paolo Banchero shared his ideas on the problem Boston presents.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Banchero praised the Celtics for his or her consistency and depth.
“You all the time rise up to play the Celtics,” Banchero mentioned. “They’re the very best crew within the East since I’ve been within the NBA. Virtually each three years they’ve been the [East’s] 1-seed. So you might be nonetheless able to play towards the Celtics. A busy crew. Clearly they obtained Jaylen [Brown] and Jayson [Tatum] main the cost. However you even have a bunch of nice gamers, whether or not it is Jrue [Holiday]Derrick White, [Kristaps] Porzingis, Payton Pritchard, a Northwestern man on the bench.
Paolo Banchero highlights the environment at TD Backyard earlier than the Celtics recreation.
The Magic enter this recreation with confidence after beating the Celtics 108-104 of their first recreation of the season. Orlando obtained the win regardless of being shorthanded, as Banchero and Franz Wagner had been sidelined with accidents. Wagner, who suffered a torn proper indirect earlier within the season, has but to return, making this win a testomony to the Magic’s depth and resiliency towards one of many league’s most dominant groups.
Since getting back from his torn proper indirect that sidelined him for 34 video games, Banchero has been in stellar kind. During the last three video games, he averaged 25.3 factors, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a block per recreation whereas taking pictures 49% from the sphere and 47.1% from three-point vary . His capability to impression the sport on each ends of the courtroom has been essential for Orlando.
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Banchero additionally talked in regards to the electrical environment at TD Backyard, one among his favourite arenas.
“And so, it’s a giant problem. And taking part in at TD Backyard is one among my favourite locations to play as properly,” Banchero mentioned. “The followers there are all the time engaged and really loud. And we had some shut video games there as properly, in a fairly enjoyable atmosphere. So I am trying ahead to going again to Boston, taking part in there, combating and hopefully getting a win.
Magic-Celtics recreation presents potential playoff preview
This matchup may provide a preview of a potential playoff matchup between the 2 groups. The Magic practically confronted the Celtics in final 12 months’s Jap Convention semifinals, however had been eradicated within the first spherical throughout a seven-game battle towards the Cleveland Cavaliers. Throughout this time, the Celtics gained the Jap Convention and gained the NBA championship.
Throughout his profession, Paolo Banchero has carried out properly towards Boston, going 4-3 in seven video games. He averaged 24.3 factors, six rebounds and three.4 assists whereas taking pictures 43.4 p.c from the sphere and 46.7 p.c from three-point vary in these matchups. His consistency underlines his capability to rise to the event towards probably the greatest groups within the league.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at TD Backyard. The Magic will look to select up one other win towards Boston whereas persevering with to say themselves as probably the greatest groups within the Jap Convention.
