After a tough defeat on the road their last time out, the Celtics look much better today on their home court. They are way out in front with a 96-76 lead over the Magic. The Celtics came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off.

After Wednesday's loss at Milwaukee, Magic players pointed to an atypical lack of energy at the root of the rout. At Friday's shootaround, second-year guard Anthony Black said games like this one with the Celtics are the ones "hoopers get up for."

The Boston Celtics soundly defeated the visiting Orlando Magic Tuesday night, grabbing a 121-94 victory at home, and turning the page on a bad road loss to the Toronto Raptors earlier in the week. Orlando has one of the NBA's top defenses,

Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and the Boston Celtics ran past the Orlando Magic 121-94. With freshman star Cooper Flagg and his Duke teammates in the stands, Tatum, a former Blue Devils standout, went 12 of 21 from the floor to help Boston break out of a recent shooting slump.

Paolo Banchero’s return to the lineup for Orlando was supposed to take them from overachievers to contenders. That is a work in progress. The Magic have lost four of their last six. They lost most recently 122-93 Wednesday in Milwaukee. Boston was upset Wednesday in Toronto. The Raptors knocked off the defending champs 110-97.

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Boston took advantage of a undermanned Magic squad, missing four rotation players with a dominant offensive effort from all areas of the floor. The Celtics shot a red-hot 61 percent from the field before intermission, helping them build a 12-point halftime lead.

The Orlando Magic will face the Boston Celtics in this NBA matchup at the TD Garden on Friday, January 17th. WATCH: Magic vs Celtics Live | Stream free on Fubo

The reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics return to TD Garden Friday night still looking for consistent traction as they get set to host the Orlando Magic.

As reality has hit the Magic about their mounting injuries, they don't want to use them as an excuse for their recent slide, they say.

With NBA season in full swing, the Blue Zone takes a look at some former Blue Devils playing in the highest levels of the pro game.