Paul and the Celtics have one of the best records in the league, but they had yet to have a signature road win against a premier opponent.

That changed Thursday night, as Paul’s game-high 27 points and outstanding defense helped Boston dominate the Orlando Magic 90-80 in Florida.

No one could keep up with Paul on Thursday (Getty Images).

The Truth got on the board early, nailing a jumper to start the Celtics’ scoring. His six first quarter points helped his squad build a five-point advantage after one, and his driving layup to start the second resulted in a three-point play, pushing the lead to seven.

Paul and his boys dominated Orlando with their stifling defense, something they had gotten away from during the team’s recent down stretch. But they put the clamps down on Dwight Howard and his teammates, and held them to their lowest point total of the season, and only 36 points through the first two quarters.

“Defense is our staple,’’ Pierce said. “All year long, regardless of what the offense does, we’re going to depend on our defense night in and night out.’‘

No. 34 kept the Magic offense at bay while tallying nine points in the third quarter, including Boston’s final six to put his team back up by nine points heading into the fourth. His seven points in the final frame put the finishing touches on one of his most complete games of the season, leading his team in rebounds (10) and assists (4), in his 43 minutes of play.

His two free throws late in the game put the Celtics up by ten, and provided the team with an outstanding road victory against one of their significant Eastern Conference contenders, while pushing their win streak to seven games.

“This was very big,” Paul told the Boston Herald of his team’s victory. “You hear about the way that Cleveland and Orlando have been playing, and it’s important for us to get some of those wins. Hopefully we’ll get two more against them and win the season series. That’s going to be big.”

NEXT UP
Paul and the Celtics return home to take on Dirk Nowitzki the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

RELATED STORIES
Celtics win 7th straight, top Magic in showdown (AP, January 22, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090122/BOSORL/recap.html
Celtics are up to old tricks (Boston Globe, January 23, 2009)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/23/celt...
Celtics spin some magic (Boston Herald, January 23, 2009)
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