BOSTON _ To understand how poorly the Orlando Magic defense played Friday night, just re-watch the Boston Celtics' easy basket with 39.3 seconds to go in the first quarter.
The Magic displayed a lack of effort and non-existent communication in one sequence.
It started when Orlando's Mario Hezonja launched an errant 3-pointer, and Boston's Jaylen Brown gathered the rebound. Brown hurled the ball ahead to Marcus Smart, who dribbled up the left side of the court. As Smart slowed, his Celtics teammate Tyler Zeller ran past Magic forward Damjan Rudez at the top of the key and slipped between Jeff Green and the goal.
Smart threw a bounce pass to Zeller, and Zeller elevated for a dunk.
Much of Friday's game was like that.
The Celtics romped over the Magic, 128-98 at TD Garden, the Magic's 12th loss over their last 15 games.
Magic executives assembled this season's team to be a defensive juggernaut. Team officials thought new acquisitions Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo would combine with holdovers Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon and defensive-minded coach Frank Vogel to give Orlando an elite defense.
Instead, the Magic have deteriorated into one of the worst defenses in the NBA.
For one stretch bridging the first and second quarters Friday _ a stretch that included Zeller's dunk _ the Celtics made 14 of 17 shots.
The Celtics wound up making 56.2 percent of their attempts for the game.
Boston (28-18) routed Orlando (18-30) even though center Al Horford did not play because of a groin strain and shooting guard Avery Bradley sat out because of a sore right Achilles' tendon. Even without Horford and Bradley, the Celtics generated one easy scoring opportunity after another.
The Celtics did it with energetic ball movement, unselfish passing and smart shot selection. Despite missing Horford, the Celtics scored 54 points in the paint. They also compiled 39 assists, a season high by a Magic opponent.
The Magic entered the day five games behind the eighth-place Chicago Bulls.
Backup point guard D.J. Augustin returned from a one-game absence due to a sprained ankle, but his presence made little difference on the offensive end of the court.
Orlando made just 43.7 percent of its shots. Even that ineptitude and Boston's opportunities in transition did not explain the Magic's struggles on defense.
The Celtics opened the third quarter with three baskets on three shots: a 3-pointer by Brown, a 3 by Jae Crowder and a mid-range jumper by Isaiah Thomas.
The 7-0 run prompted Vogel to call a timeout.
Vogel had to call two more timeouts in the third quarter to stop Boston runs.
Thomas, an Eastern Conference All-Star, scored 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens subbed Thomas out for the final time with 2:11 to go in the third quarter. There was no reason to play Thomas any further.
Boston carried a 104-65 lead into the fourth quarter, and some fans picked up their winter coats, trudged up the aisles and left TD Garden to beat the traffic.
Almost all of the suspense had long since evaporated.
Until Friday, the largest margin of defeat for Orlando this season was 32 points, set on Nov. 7 in a 112-80 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
