Magic snap Boston’s win streak

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

GoLocalProv Sports Team

Two blockbuster trades and a Christmas Day miracle have suddenly vaulted Orlando into the conversation among the teams to beat in the NBA.

Fresh off a big win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Magic sent a stern message to their Eastern Conference counterparts Saturday, rallying for an 86-78 win over Boston at the Amway Center in Orlando, snapping the Celtics’ league-best 14-game winning streak.

Earlier this week, the struggling Magic shipped out Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat in two separate trades that brought Gilbert Arenas, Earl Clark, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu to Orlando. Since then, they’ve beaten San Antonio and Boston in back-to-back games. The Spurs entered that game in the midst of a 10-game winning streak with a 25-3 record while Boston was sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 23-4 prior to Saturday’s fourth-quarter meltdown.

The Celtics led throughout, but Orlando outscored them 29-15 in the final quarter to secure the win. Jameer Nelson’s 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining snapped a 77-77 tie to give Orlando the lead; the Magic bumped it to four points when J.J. Redick nailed a 20-foot jumper on the following possession. The Celtics shot poorly down the stretch while Nelson hit four free throws in the closing seconds to put the finishing touches on Orlando’s comeback.

Brandon Bass led the Magic (18-12) with 21 points while Turkoglu finished with 15. Kevin Garnett scored 22 points for Boston and Paul Pierce added 18. Shaquille O’Neal fouled out in the fourth quarter, leaving the Celtics thinner than usual; point guard Rajon Rondo missed the game with an ankle injury – the eighth time he’s sat out in Boston’s last 15 games.

The Celtics will look to start a new winning streak Thursday at Indiana.