While the Celtics had a chance to clinch a knockout round berth in the NBA’s new in-season tournament, they were instead handed a 113-96 loss to the Magic on Friday in Orlando. The Magic dominated the second half as the Celtics fell to 12-4 on the season. The upstart Magic are now 11-5 and on a six-game win streak, including wins over Boston and Denver in the last two games.
The Celtics built up a double-digit lead at the start of the second half, but they then gave up a 17-0 Magic run that flipped the game. The Magic kept on pressuring the Celtics as they put the finishing touches on the blowout. The C’s weren’t able to mount a comeback effort from there as they were pounded on the glass by the Magic.
The C’s were without Jrue Holiday (ankle sprain) then later Kristaps Porzingis (left calf), who was deemed out midway through the game
Jayson Tatum had 26 points as his 12-for-13 showing from the free throw line helped. Jaylen Brown put up 18 points, though he cooled off significantly after a hot start as he finished 6-for-21 from the field. Mo Wanger had 27 points in an impressive revenge game against his old team.
The Celtics are back home when they host the Hawks at 6 p.m. Sunday in TD Garden. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s loss to Orlando:
Brutal second half: The C’s once again went up by double digits with plenty of momentum early in the second half. But everything changed once the Magic went on their 17-0 run, when makes came easy for the home team. While the C’s were shorthanded, they still weren’t quite ready for the Magic’s physical play. All in all, the Magic outscored the C’s 65-40 in the second half alone. Even when the C’s seemed like they had inklings of momentum, they couldn’t get enough stops on the Magic.
Crushed on the glass: With the Magic employing plenty of size, the Celtics weren’t able to stop the home team from getting droves of offensive rebounds. Those second-chance opportunities were a huge part of the game as the Magic pounded the C’s there. The Magic had 13 offensive rebounds for 21 second-chance points. They also had the 60-40 edge in points in the paint. While it didn’t help that the Celtics weren’t making many 3s, they couldn’t generate a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.
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