The Boston Celtics (22-6) travel to face off against the Orlando Magic (18-12) on Monday, December 23rd. This game will be played at Kia Center in Orlando and televised on NBCS. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Celtics vs Magic

The Celtics Are Coming Off A Win

The Celtics improved to 22-6 this season with a 123-98 road win over the Bulls on Saturday. Boston, favored by 12 points, covered the spread with the victory. The game’s total of 221 points fell short of the 239.5-point O/U line.

After a 28-28 tie in the 1st quarter, Boston took control with a 10-0 run, turning a 51-47 lead into 57-51. They outscored Chicago 33-26 in the 2nd quarter, 32-23 in the 3rd, and 30-21 in the 4th.

The Magic Are Coming Off A Win

Orlando improved to 18-12 on the season with a 121-114 home win over the Heat on Saturday. The Magic, favored by 2 points, covered the spread with the win. The game’s total points of 235 exceeded the O/U line of 205 by 30 points.

After falling behind 106-84 going into the 4th quarter, Orlando held Miami to just 8 points in the final period while scoring 37 of their own. The Heat had previously gone on a 14-0 run to break a 23-23 tie early in the game.

Celtics Offense Breakdown

Jayson Tatum’s 43-point, 15-rebound performance powered the Celtics to a 123-98 win over the Bulls, as he hit 9 threes at a 60% rate. Tatum also dished out 10 assists, and his 18 points in the 3rd quarter helped Boston pull away.

Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points, with 8 coming in the 4th, while Jaylen Brown contributed 19 points, 9 of which came in the opening quarter. The Celtics shot 48% from the field, connecting on 15 threes at 33.3%.

Magic Offense Breakdown

Cole Anthony’s 35 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds led the Magic to a win over the Heat, with Anthony scoring 14 points in the 3rd quarter and 13 more in the 4th. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 24 points, including 10 in the 1st quarter, while Goga Bitadze contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 100% from the field.

As a team, the Magic shot 49.4% from the field, but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 29.7% of their threes, making 11 in total. Anthony made 2 threes, shooting 25% from deep, while Caldwell-Pope also hit 2 threes at 28.6%.

Celtics Team Defense

The Celtics put on a defensive clinic against the Bulls, holding them to just 98 points on Saturday. Boston’s defense tightened up as the game went on, allowing 28 points in the 1st quarter but cutting that down to just 21 in the 4th. Overall, they limited Chicago to 37% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Celtics held the Bulls to 34% shooting, with Chicago making 14 threes. Boston also sent the Bulls to the free-throw line just 11 times. The Celtics grabbed 42 defensive rebounds, gave up 10 offensive boards, and added 8 steals and 4 blocks.

Magic Team Defense

The Celtics put on a defensive clinic against the Bulls on Saturday, holding them to just 98 points. Boston’s defense improved as the game went on, allowing 28 points in the 1st quarter, 26 in the 2nd, 23 in the 3rd, and just 21 in the 4th.

Boston held Chicago to 37% shooting from the field, including 34% from beyond the arc, where the Bulls made 14 threes. The Celtics also sent Chicago to the line just 11 times, where they made 10 free throws. Boston finished with 42 defensive rebounds, gave up 10 offensive boards, and added 8 steals and 4 blocks.

Celtics vs Magic Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Celtics have a straight up record of 9-1 while going 5-5 vs. the spread. The team averaged 120 points per game in this stretch.
• Through their last ten home contests, the Magic offense has averaged 105 points per game while allowing an average of 103. Orlando posted an overall record of 6-4 while going 6-4 ATS.
• Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Magic have a straight up record of 1-9. But, their mark vs the spread was just 3-7.
• Over the team’s last three games as the favorite, the Celtics struggled vs the spread going just 1-2. However, they still had a straight up mark of 2-1.

Celtics vs Magic Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Celtics to win, and have the projected score sitting at 142-76. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Celtics at -9.5.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 214.5 and our model has the Celtics and Magic finishing with a combined 218 points. Our pick is to take the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.