Boston Celtics defeat Orlando Magic 107-96 behind trio of Thomas, Bradley & Olynyk

The Celtics were able to fend off the pesky Magic, winning 107-96 at the Garden on Monday night.

Isaiah Thomas continued on his absolute tear, putting up 28, 7 and 5. Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk added 22 points apiece in the Celtics win.

Boston started off quick, jumping out to a 14-4 lead behind Isaiah, and found themselves leading 22-17 after one quarter. The Magic surged and took a lead in the middle of the second quarter behind some strong play from Victor Oladipo, but the Celtics were able to close strong. Bradley, Isaiah and Olynyk combined for 44 of the Celtics 56 points in the first half, and the Celtics led 56-49 after two quarters.

The Celtics came out of halftime a little sluggish, but Isaiah put an end to that. On one sequence in the third quarter, he attacked the rim and provided two highlight reel plays back to back - even adding a Rondo fake behind-the-back pass for good measure - then got fouled shooting a three to score 6 in a row. On the next trip down, he found Evan Turner for yet another three (you have to respect a 15% three point shooter!). Not to be outdone by Isaiah, Turner found Olynyk with a sweet dish to push the lead up to 13 midway through the 3^rd.

Olynyk continued his strong play into the fourth quarter, with a three-pointer from the top of the key putting the Celtics ahead by 14. The next play though, he got elbowed in the face and had to be subbed out. The Magic promptly cut the lead to six as the Celtics went scoreless for over three minutes. Isaiah came back in and helped stem the tide, but the Magic would not relent, cutting the lead to as little as four. Amir Johnson was huge, creating second opportunities on multiple occasions down the stretch. Avery Bradley continued to show his improvement driving to the basket, putting in a big bucket on a drive to push the lead back up to 6 with two minutes to go. Bradley also added a jumper at the end of the shot clock with a minute remaining to help seal the deal.

Other Observations

-Tommy on Isaiah: "He is like trying to catch lightning!" That hesitation move he does where he fakes a spin then explodes to the basket is unguardable. He has been one of the best players in the NBA over the last month.

-Great to see Olynyk return to his old self. He finished with 22 points in 21 minutes.

-Love how Scal refers to the Celtics as "us." He'll always be a Celtic.

-Amir seemed to roll his ankle in the third quarter but played through it. He brought his lunch pail to the Garden again tonight, putting up 11 points and 11 rebounds.

-Would love to see Terry Rozier be more aggressive. He is super quick and athletic and is in there because Stevens trusts him. Take it to the hoop Terry!

-Oladipo was very impressive, putting up 25 points in the loss.