Our ratings lean toward the Celtics at home against the Magic on Thursday, March 18, at about 73%. That is a real edge, but the Magic are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Celtics 73%, with a projected score of Orlando Magic 112, Boston Celtics 118. The rating gap is 75 points in favor of the Celtics, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Celtics on top of that.
A reading this high has real meaning, but upsets of this size happen. Nearly one game in 4 like it goes the other way.
Recent form
The Magic are 1-2 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -11.2. The Celtics are 2-1 this season and 2-3 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of +1.8.
The Magic were beaten 115-93 at home by MIN not long ago.
The Celtics' best recent win was 134-99 at home against CHI.
Offense against defense
The Magic score 109.7 a game and allow 116.3. The Celtics score 118 and allow 107.7. Pairing each offense with the other defense points to about 108.7 for the Magic and 117.2 for the Celtics, a simple check on the Win Meter's projection.
Injuries to watch
Out: Jonathan Isaac (ORL), expected back Oct 28, 2026, Izaiyah Nelson (ORL), expected back Nov 18, 2026, Noah Penda (ORL), expected back Nov 18, 2026, Paolo Banchero (ORL), expected back Nov 22, 2026, and Jalen Suggs (ORL), expected back Nov 10, 2026.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Celtics lead 8-4, with the Celtics outscoring the Magic by an average of 6 points per game. The last meeting was ORL 108, BOS 113.