The Boston Celtics didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard in Orlando, but they still walked out with a 108-97 win and their fifth straight victory since the opening-night loss in Detroit. The shot-making was rough. The rest of the package was strong enough to cover for it.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 32 points and seven assists, and a huge chunk of that production came at the line. He went 15-17 on free throws, including three trips where he was fouled on three-pointers, good for nine of those attempts. Paul George added 17 points.
What separated Boston from Orlando was everything around the shooting. The Celtics turned 18 Magic turnovers into 21 points, exactly the kind of damage you’d expect against a team that can give the ball away and a defense that pressures it into mistakes.
Boston also owned the glass on the offensive end, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and turning them into 15 second chance points. Even the possessions that didn’t end with a basket still mattered because they kept the pressure on and extended trips.
That mattered even more because the Celtics were brutal from deep. They shot just 27.3% from three overall, a number that usually drags them into trouble. Instead, they found enough answers in other areas to survive it, and they even hit 4-9 from three in the fourth quarter when the game tightened up.
The fourth quarter belonged to Tatum, even if the box score doesn’t scream it. He only had four points and two assists in the period, but Boston also stretched some minutes with a non-Tatum group that had been working well, which kept his total time down to 4:13 in the quarter.
When he did take over, he did it cleanly: two left elbow jumpers, a feed to Neemias Queta on the block, and then a pass to Paul George for a three. No overdribbling, no forced hero ball - just the right read every time.
That left elbow area is starting to look like a real spot for him. He hit three more shots from there in this game, including two during that closing run, and mixed in a couple of Dirk Nowitzki-type fadeaways from a similar area. The Celtics used that stretch to break a 79-79 tie and take the lead for good.
Boston also handled the early punch from Orlando without panicking. The Magic opened with a 13-4 run, and Joe Mazzulla didn’t call timeout.
The Celtics answered with a 7-0 run of their own, got back into the game, then built a double-digit lead in the second quarter. Sometimes the best response is just letting the group settle in and play through it.
And they did play through it. This could have turned into one of those nights where bad shooting snowballs into sloppier defense and a bad loss.
Instead, the Celtics stayed connected and kept winning the little battles. They were getting to most of the 50/50 balls, and Sam Hauser once again showed up with a diving loose-ball play that fit the tone of the night.
Queta was another useful piece in the mix, especially in the short roll around the top of the key and free throw line area. That’s where he turned one possession into a dunk and later found Paul George for a three early in the third quarter. He’s comfortable there because he can attack the lane, float one up, or kick it out if the defense collapses.
There were a couple of things to monitor, though. Tatum left the game briefly to get his head stitched after knocking heads with a Magic defender, but he was fine after that. Payton Pritchard also took a hard fall and was grabbing at his shoulder, though he stayed in and finished the game.
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