CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Celtics at Magic in Pictures 1/22

KG was part of the formidable front line that kept Dwight Howard frustrated all night. Along with his tenacious defense, he finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He was also named as a starter to the All Star game before the game.

Paul Pierce had a spectacular game all the way around with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in a game high 44 minutes. But, they will have a couple days off before facing Dallas on Sunday so I guess to win a statment game 44 minutes is ok.

Nothing came easy for the Magic as every trip to the hoop was greeted with a sea of green jerseys. Nelson especially was stifled as even if he managed to beat Rondo, the help defense was phenomenal in this game. It was nice to see the Celtics' trademark defense back in full force, especially on the road.

Rondo was aggressive in this game, especially on defense, dogging Nelson's every move. He finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. But the highlight of the game for me was when he tied up Rashard Lewis going to the hoop and then proceeded to win the jump ball against the much taller Lewis. Good stuff.

Ray did a little of everything with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. He also helped to hold the Magic's shooting guard, Courtney Lee, scoreless.

The story of the game was Big Baby who played great defense on Dwight Howard and had a season high 16 points to go with 4 rebounds and 1 steal in 21 minutes. Last night it was Eddie House off the bench who was a difference maker and tonight it was Big Baby. It is great to see the reserves stepping up and making a difference in games. We may not have length, but we have size and last night, Big Baby proved that even against the best, that can sometimes be enough.

Perk played well in his 25 minutes but is still getting his timing and wind back. He finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. When he was set to return to the game in the 4th, he suggested to Doc that as well as Baby was playing, it would be better to leave him in and it appears he was right.

After his big night against the Heat, Eddie House was very quiet, but his outside barrage wasn't needed in this one. The Celtics shot 0% from beyond the arc. Yep, Zero! As a team they were just 0-6. And, that was good because they didn't fall in love with the outside shot and won this one going to the hoop. The Celtics outscored the Magic 42-30 in points in the paint. It was great to see the Celtics step up in a statement game after losing to the Cavs and the Lakers. If they played against those other two teams the way they played last night, the results would have been different, guaranteed.

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