Date: Friday, November 20th
Time: 8:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Line: Celtics -7
Total: 190
Magic ATS Record: 7-5
Celtics ATS Record: 5-7

The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic went to war in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, with the Magic eliminating the Celtics in 7 games and in the process earned the right to get pasted by the Lakers in the Finals. Both teams look like the class of the 2009 Eastern Conference, and Boston will be looking to send the message that they are still the elite team in the Conference.

Orlando will be looking for a fourth straight victory and the Celtics hoping to continue their recovery from some recent stumbles will try and defend their home court, where they are an un-Celtic like 5-2.

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Orlando (9-3) despite some roster changes and early injury concerns, the team is looking like a contender to get back to the finals. The Magic, because of a variety of injuries, have used eight different starting lineups through the first 12 games. Despite the revolving-door lineup, the Magic remain near the top of the Eastern Conference, which illustrates their depth.

Dwight Howard has found himself in foul trouble early and often this season; and his foul issues are really cutting into his playing time and thus his production as a result. Howard still manages to record a double-double every time he plays. Howard has recorded eight double-doubles this season.

Van Gundy has asked newly acquired Vince Carter to play more aggressively on offense, and Carter delivered in the win over Oklahoma City with 18 points and 6 rebounds. In his second game after a 10-game drug suspension, Rashard Lewis had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists despite sitting out the fourth quarter.

The Magic have played especially well in the third quarters of recent games, which is a change from last season. In the last three games, the Magic have held opponents to 15, 16 and 14 points, respectively, in the third period.

Dwight Howard matched his season-low with 17 minutes Wednesday, once again plagued with foul trouble. Howard still had his eighth double-double of the season, getting 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Rashard Lewis narrowly missed his first triple-double of the season, even though he didn't even play in the fourth quarter. He had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. His nine assists tied a career high. Early season injuries have caused Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass to miss time. Point guard Jameer Nelson is expected to be out 4-6 weeks after having knee surgery Wednesday. The Magic seem to miss Hedo Turkoglo and his steady 20 and 10 every night, Carter was acquired to ease the pain, but Vincanity has yet to really go off in the 2009 season.

The Celtics (9-3) will likely try to slow the pace and rely on their defense, as they are among three teams allowing fewer than 90 points per game. This year’s team has relied too much on the three-point shot as an anchor of the offense. The three pointers should be the shot that breaks apart defenses and opens better shots inside of the paint. Instead, the Celtics are basing their offensive success on it. For the second straight game we witnessed a team effectively defend the Celtics 3-point shot (3-12) and knock our entire offensive structure off point. The Celtics will likely try to slow the pace and rely on their defense, as they are among three teams allowing fewer than 90 points per game.

A healthier Garnett has returned as the centerpiece defensively, and Boston added veteran Rasheed Wallace to a star-studded lineup as it hopes to make another run at the franchise's 18th NBA title. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen remain the team's top scorers. The Celtics' play, however, has been uneven after their 6-0 start. They lost back-to-back games against Atlanta and Indiana before rebounding with a 109-95 victory over Golden State on Wednesday. Rajon Rondo led the way with 18 points and 12 assists after averaging 7.0 points and 6.5 assists in the previous two games. Rajon Rondo went 1-for-4 from the free throw line, leaving him at 4-for-16 for the season. The Celtics came into Wednesday's game against Golden State with two straight losses and a chip on their shoulder. And they hope they can carry it to weekend games against Orlando and New York.

Schedule-makers didn't do Boston any favors having the Celtics play eight games in 12 days, then three games in four days. Fatigue takes a bigger toll on older teams, but they only have two more back-to-backs in 2009.

After going through a five-game stretch where opponents shot 45 percent or better and scored 97 points or more in four of those games, Celtics coach Doc Rivers has practiced defense of late, refocusing the troops on picking up the defensive intensity and smarter shot selection.

The Celtics big acquisition Rasheed Wallace has been averaging 11 points and 4 rebounds per game, and has shown an unselfish attitude with the rock, while playing excellent defense.

Home and Away:
-- The Boston Celtics are 5-2 at home this season, and 5-2 against Eastern opponents.
-- At home the Celtics are averaging 101.4 scoring, and holding teams to 89.1 points scored on defense.
-- The Orlando Magic is 3-2 while on the road this season, and 7-2 against Eastern opponents.
-- On the road, the Magic are averaging 93.4 scoring, and holding teams to 93.8 Points scored on defense.

Series History:
In the last 10 games in the Series, the Magic are 6-4 straight up, they are knotted at 5-5 ATS, and the UNDER is 8-2.

Betting Trends:
The Magic are 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games in Boston
The Magic are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 against the Eastern Conference
The Celtics are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games
The UNDER is 4-0 in the last 4 games between the two teams
The UNDER is 4-1 in the last 5 games between the two teams in Boston