BOSTON — The sizzling Boston Celtics used balanced scoring to cruise to their fifth straight win with a 113-94 victory over the sagging Orlando Magic on Friday night.
The Celtics (27-21) had seven players score in double figures while sending the Magic to their eighth straight loss and 12th in their last 13 games in the opener of a home-and-home series that ends Sunday night at Orlando.
Boston blew open a semi-close game by going on a 22-4 tear that ended with a 15-0 run in the first 5:32 of the fourth quarter.
Guard Marcus Smart and forward Kelly Olynyk, both coming off the bench, led the scoring with 16 points apiece. Forward Jae Crowder scored 15 points, newly named All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas had 14 points and 11 assists, guard Evan Turner added 15 points and eight assists, reserve forward Jonas Jerebko had a season-high 13 points and 10 rebounds and forward Jared Sullinger contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Celtics also reached the 100-point mark for the 11th straight game.
Big man Nikola Vucevich led six Magic players in double figures with 14 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds as his streak of double-doubles ended at six games.
Forward Aaron Gordon had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Magic (20-25).
The Celtics showed a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout saluting Thomas making the All-Star team. Thomas, who had just scored his first basket of the game, then had a hand in 10 straight points, scoring four and contributing three assists.
Boston used the Thomas-led 8-0 run to take a five-point lead that grew to eight in the quarter and the advantage reached double figures in the first three minutes of the second quarter.
The Celtics took a 13-point lead with 3:56 left in the half but led by eight at the break. Thomas ended the half with an end-to-end dash and layup with 1.1 seconds left.
Jerebko, averaging 3.6 points per game coming in, scored eight straight Boston points in the second quarter.
Turner ended the third quarter with a buzzer-beating floater that made it 86-77. Olynyk then scored nine points in the first 3:19 of the fourth quarter and the lead was 16. It quickly grew to 27.
NOTES: Boston G Isaiah Thomas, one of the smallest players in the league at 5 feet 9, should not have any trouble staying motivated after making his first All-Star team. “I asked myself yesterday, ‘What can they say now?’ But they’ll find something,” he said Friday. Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, “I think he’s earned it … I’m excited about the fact that he’s being recognized.” Stevens said an excited Thomas called him with the news. “It was fun to hear his enthusiasm, hear his excitement in that moment,” Stevens said. … Despite his team coming in with seven straight losses and 11 in the last 12, Magic coach Scott Skiles said earlier Friday, “We’re only five games out of having home-court advantage and we’re only three out of the playoffs.” … The Magic signed G Keith Appling to a second 10-day contract. … Orlando big man Jason Smith, who suffered a stinger Tuesday night and skipped Friday’s shootaround, played in Friday’s game. … Boston’s 104.4-point season scoring average coming into Friday’s game was a franchise best since 1991-92 (106.1).
Cavaliers 114, Pistons 106
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Kevin Love erupted for 29 points, LeBron James reached the 26,000 career point mark and the Cleveland Cavaliers downed the Detroit Pistons 114-106 on Friday night at The Palace.
Love, who was passed over by the Eastern Conference coaches as an All-Star reserve, enjoyed his second-highest scoring game this season. Cleveland’s power forward scored 34 against Orlando on Nov. 23.
James became the youngest player ever to reach 26,000-point mark when he made two free throws during the third quarter. The All-Star small forward became the 17th player in league history to hit that milestone. He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and a team-high eight assists.
Point guard Kyrie Irving supplied 28 points for the Cavaliers (33-12), who are 3-1 since Tyronn Lue replaced David Blatt as head coach. Center Tristan Thompson added a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Center Andre Drummond’s 20 points and eight rebounds led the Pistons (25-22). Drummond, the first Piston selected to the All-Star game since Allen Iverson in 2009, had 25 points and 18 rebounds in Detroit’s 104-99 victory over Cleveland at The Palace on Nov. 17.
Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 19 points and seven rebounds and rookie small forward Stanley Johnson added 15 points and five assists for Detroit.
The teams traded 7-0 runs at the start of the second half, then things soon got a little testy. James and Pistons small forward Marcus Morris exchanged words at half-court and needed to be separated after a double call was called on them.
Cleveland then took command with a 12-2 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer from shooting guard J.R. Smith, to make it 90-71. The Pistons closed to within nine on Morris’ three-point play with 4:45 left but Love responded with a fade-away shot and Cavs closed it out.
James had a quiet first half, as he attempted only six shots and scored 10 points. The Cavs’ other stars filled the scoring void, with Love and Irving combining for 35 points to lead them to a 66-58 halftime lead.