Boston -- The Celtics enter intermission with an 80-57 lead over the Orlando Magic. That matches the fifth-most points they've scored in a half, per StatMuse.
Everyone on the team who has played has scored already except for Baylor Scheierman. That includes Neemias Queta, who departed after logging fewer than six minutes. Boston's starting center sprained his left ankle after sprinting to contest an Anthony Black dunk attempt.
The Celtics' offensive explosion comes two days after a lackluster effort in a 113-105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on this same parquet.
"Come ready to play or don't come at all," declared Jaylen Brown after that defeat in an NBA Cup contest. "End of the day, we all got a job to do. We [are] all getting paid to do what we love to do. Come ready to play basketball, or you're doing a disservice. Everybody's got to come and be ready to do their job and have great energy, enthusiasm, and want to win."
Message received.
Sunday against Orlando, the hosts were active on defense, running the floor in transition, and manufactured a well-balanced offensive attack. Their energy, effort, and enthusiasm that Brown challenged them to deliver were palpable.
Boston's balanced offense by the numbers
The Celtics entered the break having produced 34 points in the paint. They shot a scorching 64.6 percent from the field. That includes knocking down nine of 17 three-point attempts. That translates to 52.9 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Assists don't always paint an accurate picture of the quality of a team's ball movement. However, it did in the first half on Sunday at TD Garden. Boston dished out 19 assists on 31 field goals. Whether it was in transition or out of a half-court set, they did an excellent job of creating two-on-one advantages and freeing up teammates for open looks. The hosts' outstanding offensive execution included limiting their giveaways to only two turnovers.
Their balanced attack resulted in four players entering halftime having scored in double figures.
Anfernee Simons again erupted in the first half against his hometown team. The veteran guard put 16 points on the board in 14:37 of floor time. He buried three of the five threes he hoisted and six of his eight field goal attempts.
Jaylen Brown paired 14 points with six assists. Payton Pritchard produced 13 points on six of 11 shooting. He also distributed eight assists. Josh Minott came off the bench with tremendous energy. His activity and shooting touch resulted in him registering 12 points and five rebounds in the opening 24 minutes.
Now, the key is for the Celtics to keep their foot off the gas and close out what would be a nice bounce-back win after a disappointing loss on Friday.