BOSTON, (Reuters) – Vince Carter scored 10 of his  game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Orlando  Magic to a 83-78 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday.

Carter, who joined the Magic in the offseason, shone in a  defensive battle between two of the top sides in the Eastern  Conference.

Orlando scored the game’s final five points after Carter’s  turnaround jumper with 2:32 remaining broke a 78-78 tie.

“I enjoy playing big games. I live for it,” Carter told  reporters after attempting a season-high 29 shots. “We really  respect (the Celtics), they’re one of the best. We’re trying to  get there consistently and prove ourselves in the same way.”

Paul Pierce scored 21 points for Boston, who shot 34  percent from the field and lost for the third time in four  games.
The Celtics were trying to earn a measure of revenge  against the Magic, who eliminated them from last year’s  playoffs in seven games when Kevin Garnett was sidelined with a  knee injury.

With Garnett now returned to health and Boston having made  key acquisitions, including forward Rasheed Wallace, the team  is looking to return to the form that earned them an NBA  championship in 2008.

After reaching the NBA Finals a year ago, the Magic have  also made personnel changes, starting with a trade for Carter.  The eight-time All-Star has helped Orlando start the year at  10-3 despite team-wide injuries.

Against the Celtics, Orlando used a 15-2 run in the first  quarter to establish early control of the game.
Ray Allen tallied nine of his 15 points in the second,  where Boston pulled closer to trail 43-40 at halftime before  the Magic again claimed the momentum in the second half.
Rashard Lewis contributed 16 points in his third game since  serving a 10-game suspension for taking a banned substance and  Mickael Pietrus added 14 for Orlando.

The Magic were without starting point guard Jameer Nelson  who will miss 4-6 weeks following knee surgery yet still  managed their fourth straight win.

The Celtics struggled from behind the arc making just  2-of-19 three-point attempts as they fell to 9-4.
“We’re not a team that takes losing well,” Garnett said.  “We’re still trying to figure it out.”