The Magic picked up a playoff win Friday, beating the defending champion Celtics 95-93 in Orlando to prevent Boston from taking a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.
The close contest remained a barnburner down the stretch and included a dramatic final minute — the Celtics had possession with 0.3 seconds left and a chance to win or tie it but a lob from Derrick White off the inbound bounced off the rim as time expired for a Magic victory.
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Orlando largely relied on its defense, while Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero sparked its offense with 32 and 29 points, respectively.
Boston, meanwhile, benefitted from the presence of their All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum, who returned to the starting lineup after missing Game 2 with a wrist injury, and Jaylen Brown, who was questionable before the game while dealing with a knee issue. They combined for 55 points, but the Celtics felt the absence of Jrue Holiday, who was out with a hamstring strain.
Boston still leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday in Orlando.
Also happening Friday night: the Milwaukee Bucks host the Indiana Pacers, who lead that series 2-0, and the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Los Angeles Lakers (series tied 1-1).
Celtics 95, Magic 93
(Boston leads series 2-1)
How Orlando pulled off the critical win
No one within the Magic said this publicly, but they had to know that Game 3 was a must-win game for them.
No NBA team has ever come back from an 0-3 series deficit to win a best-of-seven series. Before this postseason, teams that have won the first three games have a 157-0 series record, according to league statisticians.
To say the Magic played desperate is accurate but also contextually inaccurate. They played desperate in their two losses in Boston, too.
So, what changed?
They fed off their crowd — just as they hoped they would do — even though their crowd was nowhere near as loud as the TD Garden crowd was during Game 2.
This time, in sharp contrast to the series’ opening two games, the Magic opened the third quarter well, going on a 14-0 run to reclaim a tenuous lead. They also limited the Celtics’ second-chance points. And the Celtics had some uncharacteristically horrid shooting to close the quarter.
Wagner was dominant at times, scoring 32 points, collecting seven rebounds and dishing out eight assists, all while he often guarded Tatum or Brown.
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Orlando also received some strong performances off the bench, particularly Anthony Black’s defense during the first half.
What remains a mystery is why Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been so ineffective on offense. It sounds like a quibble in Friday’s immediate aftermath; after all, the Magic won the game. But for the Magic to push the Celtics to a sixth game or beyond, Caldwell-Pope will have to start to produce something on offense.
But now it’s onto Sunday’s crucial Game 4. It has the potential to be a fantastic game. — Josh Robbins
Celtics flail against Magic’s defensive intensity
Tatum and Brown looked capable physically, but Boston had consistent issues executing against the desperate Magic defense. The Celtics committed almost every type of mistake. Brown picked up multiple offensive fouls. Sam Hauser threw away an inbounds pass. Payton Pritchard had his pocket picked before reaching halfcourt.
Tatum was called for an extremely rare carrying violation. When a White airball resulted in a shot clock violation late in the third quarter, the Celtics completed their turnover Bingo card. They later committed another shot clock violation.
Boston ranked second in the league in turnover percentage during the regular season, but committed 11 turnovers in the first half and another six in the third quarter en route to 19 for the game. In another sign that the Magic’s physicality impacted the Celtics, they only attempted 27 3-pointers — 21 fewer 3-point attempts than they averaged during the regular season and 10 fewer than they took in each of the first two games of this series.
This game was not for the weak or timid. The Celtics still had chances late, but will need to do a better job of handling Orlando’s intensity moving forward. With the nagging injuries piling up, Boston should do whatever it can to finish this series quickly before the Magic’s size and physicality take more of a toll. — Jay King
(Photo: Mike Watters / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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