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Celtics battle Magic in Beantown

Jan 17, 2011 - 4:11 PM (Sports Network) - One of the NBA's marquee Martin Luther King Day matchups will tip off in Beantown Monday as the Boston Celtics resume a six-game homestand by playing host to the Orlando Magic.

The Celtics, who topped Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals last season, improved to 2-1 on their current residency Friday when Shaquille O'Neal led Boston with 23 points, while Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen turned in key performances, helping the C's to a hard-fought 99-94 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Rondo finished with 18 points, 13 assists, and six rebounds for Boston, which has won two in a row and improved to a conference-best 30-9 this season. Allen sank four three-pointers, including a pair in the fourth quarter that helped Boston maintain a multiple-possession lead.

Allen and Paul Pierce both scored 19 points in the victory, which Boston recorded without injured forwards Jermaine O'Neal, who is looking into possible season-ending knee surgery, and Kevin Garnett. Fortunately for the Celtics, another big man filled the void as Shaq had his best game in a Boston uniform.

"I knew that whatever happened I was going to be ready," said O'Neal, who played a season-high 35 minutes. "I've been in foul trouble and haven't really played a lot of minutes so there was really no excuse for me to be tired. I just came out and got a few more touches tonight and just did what I do."

Garnett, who has missed nine games with a strained right calf, is expected back in the lineup tonight. Shaq, however, is now being listed as questionable with a strained right calf of his own suffered when he slipped on some ice.

The Magic, meanwhile, improved to 2-2 on a five-game road trip on Saturday in Minneapolis when Jason Richardson and J.J. Redick each scored 21 points to pace Orlando over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-99, at the Target Center.

Dwight Howard added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who snapped a brief two-game skid. Ryan Anderson chipped in 15 points and 11 boards off the bench.

"J.J. has been playing well. He's always ready to play and so is Jason Richardson," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Those guys always play hard."

Orlando has won three straight and six of the past seven regular season matchups between the two clubs, including an 86-78 Christmas Day win in central Florida this season.