ORLANDO, Fla. — Tobias Harris scored 19 points and the Orlando Magic snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Boston Celtics 100-95 Tuesday night at Amway Center.
Forward Kyle O’Quinn had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and center Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando. The Celtics were led by center Tyler Zeller with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics rallied late and reduced a 27-point, fourth-quarter deficit to just three, but it wasn’t enough as the Magic hit eight free throws in the final two minutes.
Although the Magic (11-20) never trailed, the Celtics (10-16) made them sweat down the stretch, outscoring them 35-15 in the final period.
Guard Avery Bradley had 20 points for the Celtics.
The Celtics’ fourth-quarter rally was sparked in part by guard Jameer Nelson, forward Jae Crowder and forward Brandan Wright — the three players obtained from Dallas in last week’s trade of Rajon Rondo.
Bradley did break out of his long-distance shooting slump. He had made only one of his previous 23 3-point shots coming into the game, but he hit four of his six Tuesday night.
The Magic led by as many as 27 points early in the final period, but the Celtics quickly cut the deficit with a 12-0 run.
The Magic led 85-60 going into the fourth. Rookie guard Elfrid Payton, who played poorly on Sunday night, had 10 points and three assists in the third period Tuesday, making sure the Magic stayed in control.
The Magic led 53-30 at halftime, getting 14 points and six rebounds from Vucevic. They led 40-15 midway in the second quarter. Harris opened the game with a 3-pointer and the Magic never trailed.
It was the biggest first-half lead for the Magic this season. The Celtics scored a season-low nine points in the first quarter.
The Celtics were awful early, missing their first 11 shots and making only two of 22 shots in the first quarter. Forward Jared Sullinger missed all five of his shots in the first half when the Celtics shots just 26.3 percent.
Magic reserve guard Ben Gordon made all four of his shots for eight points in eight minutes of the first half.
NOTES: G Jameer Nelson made his first start for the Celtics since the trade from Dallas last week. Nelson spent the first 10 seasons of his NBA career with the Magic, leaving as the all-time leader in assists (3,501). He signed with the Mavericks this summer but came to Boston in the multi-player swap for Rajon Rondo. “It’s a bit weird, but I’m here,” Nelson said Tuesday. He received a standing ovation during a break in the first quarter when a video tribute ran on the overhead scoreboard. … Nelson’s arrival means that rookie PG Marcus Smart’s first start of his career Sunday might be his last for a while. … The Magic have played more games (31) than any other team in the league. … Orlando began the night 6-1 this season when scoring 100 points or more. … Magic rookie F Aaron Gordon (fractured left foot) is out of his walking cast and hopes to be back by the All-Star break.