Celtics-Magic Clash with Major Tournament Implications

The Milwaukee Bucks' slow start leads to loss against the Boston Celtics, highlighting defensive weaknesses.

• The Orlando Magic extended their winning streak to five games by defeating the NBA champion Denver Nuggets, presenting a significant challenge for the Boston Celtics in the upcoming game.
• The Celtics are currently 2-0 in group play with two games remaining. If they defeat the Magic, they will win their five-team Group C and advance to the quarterfinals.
• The Magic are 2-1 in the group, and the first tiebreaker is head-to-head group-play record. If Orlando wins, it would finish group play at 3-1 and own that tiebreaker over the Celtics.
• The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a 119-116 loss to the Boston Celtics, highlighting the Bucks' ongoing issue of slow starts to games.
• The Celtics started the game by hitting 12 of their first 20 3-point attempts (60 percent), exploiting the Bucks' weak point-of-attack defense.

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