Boston Celtics Cruise Past Orlando Magic To Win Series 4-1

The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 120-89 in Game 5, winning the series 4-1. Jayson Tatum had another great game with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists to close out the first round. Franz Wagner had 25 points. Paolo Banchero had 19, but got into foul trouble, making way for a huge Celtics run in the third quarter. Jrue Holiday was out for the Celtics but will have more time to recover as they advance to the second round. It is the end of Orlando’s season, but they competed throughout the series, and their young stars showed significant promise.

A Back-and-Forth First Half

Even though the Boston Celtics had the series lead, the first four games were close. The Magic were not willing to go down easily. Both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes. Wagner continued his dominant series, scoring early and often. He led a 7-0 run that gave Orlando the lead. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope heated up, making a pair of threes.

Meanwhile, Boston was extremely sloppy, missing layups and open threes. Tatum helped the offense eventually find a rhythm. He got to the free-throw line to cut the lead to one before Gary Harris made a three to end the quarter. The Magic led 27-23. Caldwell-Pope had 8 points and Tatum had 10.

Orlando extended their lead to nine in the second quarter after a Jonathan Isaac dunk. They were outworking the Boston Celtics on the glass, leading to an advantage in second-chance points. Wagner was scoring inside while the Celtics’ offense went downhill with Tatum subbed out. Derrick White gave Boston a spark with an and-one, followed by a Jaylen Brown dunk a few possessions later. A Tatum bucket tied the game, and a Brown jumper gave them the lead on a 13-3 run. But Orlando answered with an 8-0 run, immediately erasing all the Celtics’ progress. Tatum beat the buzzer with a dunk to end the half. The Magic led 49-47.

Wagner led the Magic with 17 points in the first half on 6-of-11 shooting. Orlando forced 9 Boston turnovers in the first half and dominated the rebounding battle 27-18. Their defense was physical and did not concede a single three. In the first half, the Boston Celtics were 0-of-6 from three. The Magic weren’t letting them take any, and they didn’t make any. Tatum led the Celtics with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. When he was on the floor, the offense was much better. But it was still an ugly half on that end. They went on a run to close the gap, but could not hold the lead.

The Boston Celtics Pull Ahead

In the third quarter, the Magic’s offensive rebounding continued. They got second-chance points on their first few possessions as Boston began with a small lineup. The Celtics answered with a Tatum three and a Brown and-one. Also, Paolo Banchero picked up three quick fouls, putting him at five fouls. He was subbed out of the game, and Boston went on a 10-1 run fueled by Brown. The Celtics’ offense began to flow while Orlando went cold, unable to make a three.

Boston went up by double digits, and threes from Horford and Sam Hauser extended the lead. This opened the floodgates for a scoring explosion. Tatum, Horford, and Hauser poured in for a 36-point quarter. The Celtics pulled ahead for a 21-point lead. Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics grabbed a commanding 83-62 lead. In the third, they outscored the Magic 36-13.

In the fourth quarter, Payton Pritchard kept the run going with a pair of threes. Brown joined in, and for the first time in the series, it was raining threes for the Boston Celtics. A Luke Kornet alley-oop extended their lead to 25. The Magic kept fighting, but the Boston offense and crowd were humming. Tatum capped things off with a four-point play. The Celtics pulled their starters with a 32-point lead with 3:49 remaining. The Boston Celtics cruised to a 120-89 win, winning the series 4-1.

Final Thoughts

The Boston Celtics advanced to the second round of the playoffs with this win. Tatum led the way with 35 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. He’s scored 35 or more points in three consecutive games. Brown had 23 points. After making 0 three-pointers in the first half, they made 13 in the second half to pull away for the win. They will face the winner of the Knicks and Pistons series in the conference semifinals.

This loss ends the season for Orlando. Wagner had 25 points. Banchero had 19, but his foul trouble led to the Celtics’ run that won them the game. Their defense was physical, making it a tough series for Boston, and Banchero and Wagner are an excellent, young duo. The clear direction for them is to find more scoring outside of them.