Jan 17, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looks to pass the ball over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images The Boston Celtics will continue their quest to win back-to-back NBA championships Sunday when they open the playoffs against the visiting Orlando Magic.
The Celtics, who beat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2023-24 NBA Finals, are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are trying to become the first franchise to win consecutive titles since Golden State did so in 2017 and ’18.
Orlando beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 in the play-in tournament to earn the No. 7 seed and set up the best-of-seven series against Boston.
“(The Magic) have a DNA about them. They’re well coached, they have a lot of depth,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “They’ve played, they’ve won a lot of different ways, kind of similar to us not being healthy throughout the season. So there’s stuff you can take from every game. … So really just focus on the DNA of what they do, who they are, when they’re at their best, and kind of take it from there.”
Orlando won two of the three meetings between the teams during the regular season, but the Celtics didn’t play their starters during Orlando’s 96-76 victory on April 9 because they had nothing to gain in the standings.
Jayson Tatum, Boston’s leading scorer (26.8 points per game), also sat out Orlando’s 108-104 win on Dec. 23 with an illness. The Celtics beat the Magic 121-94 on Jan. 17, which was the only time the teams met in Boston.
“It’s a different environment in Boston,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We know how loud it’s going to be. We understand how those fans are and how they root and support for their team. We gotta be able to embrace that, but understand that we’re capable of doing that on the road.”
The series matches the top two defensive teams in the NBA in points allowed per game. The Magic gave up a league-best 105.5 points, while the Celtics were next best at 107.2.
Orlando (41-41) relies heavily on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who both missed significant time with injuries earlier this season. Banchero averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 46 regular-season games, and Wagner averaged 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 60 games.
The series likely will be determined at the 3-point line. The Celtics (61-21) set an NBA record for made 3-pointers in a season (1,457) and are averaging 17.8 made 3-pointers per game on 48.2 attempts. Derrick White (265), Payton Pritchard (255) and Tatum (250) led the team in 3-point field goals.
Orlando was the best team in the league at limiting 3-point attempts by opponents during the regular season (31.4 per game), but ranked last among NBA teams in made 3-pointers (11.2) and 3-point percentage (31.8) per contest. However, it’s worth noting that Orlando shot 36.7 percent on 3-point attempts during its final 16 games of the season.
The Celtics are 7-14 this season when they failed to make more 3-pointers than their opponent.
“I think there is still another level for us,” Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac said. “I think we’re going to find that in the playoffs here. But it’s great. We’ve started to shoot the ball better as of late, and this is the time you want to shoot the ball better, towards the end of the year and going into the playoffs.”
The teams will play Game 2 in Boston on Wednesday before the best-of-seven series shifts to Orlando on Friday.
–Field Level Media
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
No. 9 Oklahoma Defeats No. 23 Oklahoma State 92-70 for 10th Consecutive Win
Raegan Beers scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds, and No. 9 Oklahoma won its 10th consecutive game by routing No. 23 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon, 92-70.Sahara Williams scored 18 points and Aaliyah Chavez and Zya Vann added 15 each for the Sooners (11-1), who won their seventh straight in the series. The in-state rivals played annually before Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC ahead of last season.Oklahoma shot 51.3% from the field and scored at least 90 points for the eighth straight game. All five Sooners starters scored in double figures.Micah Gray scored 22 points and Jadyn Wooten added 15 for the Cowgirls (10-2), who had won five straight. Oklahoma State shot just 37.8% from the field and 28.1% from 3-point range.Vann's 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter gave the Sooners a 21-20 lead.In […]
Yaxel Lendeborg’s Big Game Helps No. 2 Michigan Stay Unbeaten in Win vs. Maryland
Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland, 101-83.Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in […]
Hyrox: sucesso na Europa, modalidade que une corrida e força ganha as academias e eventos no Brasil
Imagina correr oito quilômetros, “esquiar”, puxar e empurrar “trenós”, fazer burpees, remar, caminhar com pesos, carregar sacos de areia nas costas e arremessar bolas pesadas na parede... Dois alemães imaginaram tudo isso há quase uma década e criaram o Hyrox, a nova modalidade fitness que vem ganhando o Brasil e já é sucesso estabelecido na Europa e nos Estados Unidos. No fim de novembro, o Rio de Janeiro recebeu, pela primeira vez, a competição que contou com mais de três mil participantes — São Paulo sediou o primeiro torneio no país em dezembro de 2024 com dois mil competidores. Fortaleza está confirmada para fevereiro. Um dos últimos países a abraçar o fenômeno fitness, o Brasil vai sediar mais três eventos no próximo ano em locais a serem anunciados: um deles ainda no primeiro semestre e dois no segundo semestre de […]
Azzi Fudd Leads No. 1 UConn’s Rout of No. 16 USC With JuJu Watkins Sidelined
Azzi Fudd scored 17 points and No. 1 UConn routed 16th-ranked USC on Saturday, 79-51, snapping the Trojans' 20-game home winning streak with their best player on the bench watching.JuJu Watkins also didn't play when UConn beat USC 78-64 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in March. She tore her ACL in the second round and is sitting out this season while rehabbing.The Huskies (10-0) shut down USC star freshman Jazzy Davidson, who was held to 10 points on 3 of 13 shooting.USC led 9-8 before UConn pulled away.The defending national champion Huskies ran off 15 straight points to end the first quarter as part of a 24-2 spurt that gave them a 32-11 lead early in the second quarter. Davidson's jumper — her only one of the first half — was one of just seven field goals […]
4 Takeaways From 2025 Heisman Trophy Ceremony, Fernando Mendoza’s Win
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the star of the show on Saturday, winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy after leading the No. 1-ranked Hoosiers (13-0) to an undefeated season and first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.An absolute force in the Big Ten this season, Mendoza beat out fellow quarterbacks Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), as well as Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love for the highly prestigious award.Here are my four takeaways from the 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony.1. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is getting robbed for being youngHow long are we going to keep allowing the best player in college football to play without winning a major individual award? At least one more year, it appears.Smith, the only wide receiver to receive enough Heisman votes to finish in the top 10 (sixth) this year, didn't win […]
Heisman Trophy Ballot Results: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza Wins In Landslide
The voting results for the 2025 Heisman Trophy race are in following Saturday night's historic announcement crowning Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the recipient of this year's highly prestigious award.Entering the night as the heavy favorite, Mendoza's win made his "HeisMendoza" moniker more than a nickname, with the redshirt senior winning the coveted award in landslide fashion. Of the 916 first-place votes, Mendoza took home 643 of them — more than tripling the first-place votes received by the runner-up, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (189).In addition to becoming the first Hoosier to win the Heisman, Mendoza is the first to secure all six Heisman regions since Caleb Williams in 2022. In total, Mendoza earned 2,362 points, with 191 second-place votes and 51 third-place votes; he also accumulated 84.66% of total possible points, which is the seventh-highest mark in the history of […]
Related
No. 9 Oklahoma Defeats No. 23 Oklahoma State 92-70 for 10th Consecutive Win
Raegan Beers scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds, and No. 9 Oklahoma won its 10th consecutive game by routing No. 23 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon, 92-70.Sahara Williams scored 18 points and Aaliyah Chavez and Zya Vann added 15 each for the Sooners (11-1), who won their seventh straight in the series. The in-state rivals played annually before Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC ahead of last season.Oklahoma shot 51.3% from the field and scored at least 90 points for the eighth straight game. All five Sooners starters scored in double figures.Micah Gray scored 22 points and Jadyn Wooten added 15 for the Cowgirls (10-2), who had won five straight. Oklahoma State shot just 37.8% from the field and 28.1% from 3-point range.Vann's 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter gave the Sooners a 21-20 lead.In […]
Yaxel Lendeborg’s Big Game Helps No. 2 Michigan Stay Unbeaten in Win vs. Maryland
Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland, 101-83.Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in […]
Hyrox: sucesso na Europa, modalidade que une corrida e força ganha as academias e eventos no Brasil
Imagina correr oito quilômetros, “esquiar”, puxar e empurrar “trenós”, fazer burpees, remar, caminhar com pesos, carregar sacos de areia nas costas e arremessar bolas pesadas na parede... Dois alemães imaginaram tudo isso há quase uma década e criaram o Hyrox, a nova modalidade fitness que vem ganhando o Brasil e já é sucesso estabelecido na Europa e nos Estados Unidos. No fim de novembro, o Rio de Janeiro recebeu, pela primeira vez, a competição que contou com mais de três mil participantes — São Paulo sediou o primeiro torneio no país em dezembro de 2024 com dois mil competidores. Fortaleza está confirmada para fevereiro. Um dos últimos países a abraçar o fenômeno fitness, o Brasil vai sediar mais três eventos no próximo ano em locais a serem anunciados: um deles ainda no primeiro semestre e dois no segundo semestre de […]
Azzi Fudd Leads No. 1 UConn’s Rout of No. 16 USC With JuJu Watkins Sidelined
Azzi Fudd scored 17 points and No. 1 UConn routed 16th-ranked USC on Saturday, 79-51, snapping the Trojans' 20-game home winning streak with their best player on the bench watching.JuJu Watkins also didn't play when UConn beat USC 78-64 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in March. She tore her ACL in the second round and is sitting out this season while rehabbing.The Huskies (10-0) shut down USC star freshman Jazzy Davidson, who was held to 10 points on 3 of 13 shooting.USC led 9-8 before UConn pulled away.The defending national champion Huskies ran off 15 straight points to end the first quarter as part of a 24-2 spurt that gave them a 32-11 lead early in the second quarter. Davidson's jumper — her only one of the first half — was one of just seven field goals […]
4 Takeaways From 2025 Heisman Trophy Ceremony, Fernando Mendoza’s Win
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the star of the show on Saturday, winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy after leading the No. 1-ranked Hoosiers (13-0) to an undefeated season and first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.An absolute force in the Big Ten this season, Mendoza beat out fellow quarterbacks Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), as well as Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love for the highly prestigious award.Here are my four takeaways from the 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony.1. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is getting robbed for being youngHow long are we going to keep allowing the best player in college football to play without winning a major individual award? At least one more year, it appears.Smith, the only wide receiver to receive enough Heisman votes to finish in the top 10 (sixth) this year, didn't win […]
Heisman Trophy Ballot Results: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza Wins In Landslide
The voting results for the 2025 Heisman Trophy race are in following Saturday night's historic announcement crowning Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the recipient of this year's highly prestigious award.Entering the night as the heavy favorite, Mendoza's win made his "HeisMendoza" moniker more than a nickname, with the redshirt senior winning the coveted award in landslide fashion. Of the 916 first-place votes, Mendoza took home 643 of them — more than tripling the first-place votes received by the runner-up, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (189).In addition to becoming the first Hoosier to win the Heisman, Mendoza is the first to secure all six Heisman regions since Caleb Williams in 2022. In total, Mendoza earned 2,362 points, with 191 second-place votes and 51 third-place votes; he also accumulated 84.66% of total possible points, which is the seventh-highest mark in the history of […]
Be the first to leave a comment