![Isaiah Thomas helped the Celtics win on Friday to keep their lead in the East. [Image via Blasting News image library/inquisitr.com]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/4/1/660x290/b_502x220x82/isaiah-thomas-helped-the-celtics-win-on-friday-to-keep-their-lead-in-the-east-image-via-blasting-news-image-libraryinquisitrcom_1245117.jpg "Isaiah Thomas helped the Celtics win on Friday to keep their lead in the East. [Image via Blasting News image library/inquisitr.com]")
On Friday night, the Boston Celtics were able to outlast the Orlando Magic 117-116 in a closely-contested game. Isaiah Thomas was once again the team leader in an important NBA playoff standings victory down the final stretch of the regular season. The game also featured an emphatic dunk from one of the league's top young rim rockers, adding to his growing highlight reel. Here's the latest from the Boston Celtics win over the Magic in the NBA's action on Friday.
Orlando vs. Boston recap
A man who hasn't been mentioned so much in the NBA MVP race is Isaiah Thomas.
On Friday night he put up 35 points on 10-for-23 field goal shooting. That included four three-pointers with Thomas also dishing out seven assists to his teammates. Jae Crowder was also big with 18 points in the win, while Al Horford and rookie Jaylen Brown each had 12 points.
The Orlando Magic got 32 points and 16 rebounds from their rising young star Aaron Gordon. One of his more impressive field goals featured Gordon taking off and slamming it home with Marcus Smart standing below. In addition to Gordon's 32, the Magic also received 12 points and 15 assists from Elfrid Payton and 20 points from Evan Fournier in the loss.
ICYMI: Aaron Gordon took flight in Boston! #LetsGoMagic pic.twitter.com/lBP2ZyxPgJ
— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2017
In the win, the Celtics shot 45.2 percent from the field while also taking nine more free-throws than their opponents.
Boston was 29-for-34 from the charity stripe which certainly helped, as did Thomas' nine points in the fourth to help outlast the Magic.
NBA standings & what's next
The win puts the Boston Celtics' record for the season at 49-27. They continue to hold a half-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East as the Cavs also won on Friday night.
Next up for the Celtics will be a road game against the New York Knicks. That matchup gets going at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday on ABC.
The loss dropped the Orlando Magic to 27-49 overall. The team is already eliminated from the playoff picture and will likely be among the top five or six teams in the NBA Draft based on their record. Next up for Orlando is an away game against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night starting at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.
