The Boston Celtics have been haunted by the Orlando Magic in recent years. But on Friday night, the C's exposed their boogeyman in dominant fashion, prevailing 128-111.

Prior to the big win, Orlando had triumphed over Boston in four straight contests. And to break the losing streak, Celtics star guard Jaylen Brown upped his team's pace.

“We had all guards, all smalls out there so our advantage was speed,” Brown said. “And that’s how I want to play all the time. Like, let’s run on a made basket, on a missed basket. That’s what I’ve been trying to emphasize for our coaching staff and everybody all year.”

The Celtics were without key pieces during the Eastern Conference showdown, as centers Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet were all out. Since they were forced to go small with a shorthanded lineup, the Green Team utilized their speed to notch 18 fastbreak points to Orlando's eight.

The faster pace helped on defense as well, with the Celtics forcing 21 turnovers and grabbing a whopping 14 steals. It's no surprise Brown led the charge in terms of quickness, either, as he averages the third-most points in transition in the entire NBA with 7.5 per game. And while his 18 points in 29 minutes were far from a career-high, his baskets were nearly all emphatic ones that left the TD Garden rocking.

Brown aside, the C's had an all-around great game despite having to play on the second leg of a back-to-back. Fellow star Jayson Tatum dropped 30 points and Payton Pritchard had 21 points and five assists off the bench.

Perhaps Boston will employ a similar speedy strategy when it faces Orlando again on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. (PT).