Jayson Tatum scored 32 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 108-97 on Sunday at Kia Center, extending their winning streak to five games. The result moved the Celtics to 5-1, while Orlando fell to 2-4.
Boston pulled away with a 31-22 third-quarter edge after Orlando had tied the game at 23 late in the first period. Tristan da Silva led the Magic with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but Orlando could not overcome 18 total turnovers that led to 21 Celtics points.
Takeaways From Boston’s Win Over Orlando
Boston’s bench provided the separation
Payton Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman combined to hit three 3-pointers during a second-quarter stretch that turned a tied game into a 10-point Celtics lead. The surge, capped by Neemias Queta’s driving dunk that made it 38-34, gave Boston its first real cushion of the night.
Turnovers decided the paint battle
Orlando committed 18 total turnovers that Boston converted into 21 points, more than double the eight points the Celtics gave up off their own 13 turnovers. Despite getting outrebounded 43-41, Boston’s defense forced enough mistakes to offset the Magic’s work on the glass.
Tatum’s foul-line production kept Boston ahead
Tatum made 15 of 17 free throws, a stretch that included four makes in a span of less than two minutes late in the second quarter that pushed Boston’s lead to 46-39. He finished 8 of 19 from the field but his work at the line kept the Magic from closing the gap.
Player Of The Game: Jayson Tatum
Tatum finished with 32 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 34 minutes, shooting 8 of 19 from the field and 15 of 17 from the free-throw line. He also posted a plus-7 rating as Boston’s primary scoring option throughout the night.
Celtics Vs Magic By The Numbers
Boston shot 85% from the free-throw line on 22-of-26 shooting, well above Orlando’s 79% mark on 15 of 19. The Celtics also controlled the paint with 38 points in the lane compared to Orlando’s 36.
Boston’s bench and role players combined for nine steals to Orlando’s six, a difference that fueled much of the transition scoring. The Magic actually out-rebounded Boston 43-41 and shot a higher percentage from three (36% to 27%), but the turnover gap, 18 to 13, proved decisive.
Franz Wagner recorded a game-high 12 assists to go with 14 points, but he also finished with a team-worst minus-7 rating. Desmond Bane added 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5 of 9 from three-point range.
What It Means
Boston’s fifth straight win keeps the Celtics at 5-1, a half-game behind Philadelphia atop the Atlantic Division, according to the official NBA standings. Orlando dropped to 2-4 and sits last in the Southeast Division with Miami, both at 1 game back of division-leading Washington.
Boston also leads the season series between the two teams 1-0.
What’s Next
Boston will look to continue its win streak in its next outing, while Orlando will try to snap its losing streak.
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