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BOSTON — TD Garden was quiet for about five minutes Sunday afternoon.
Paolo Banchero buried his third triple of the first half, Jonathan Isaac slammed down a dunk and Franz Wagner hit a stepback jumper.
Orlando, a double-digit underdog in Game 1 of its best-of-seven first-round series, actually led by 1 at intermission.
But in order to defeat the defending champions, it takes more than just a single stretch of effective basketball.
And as the Celtics poured it it on the second half to capture a 103-86 victory and take a 1-0 series lead in front of a national TV audience on ABC, their fans erupted in constant celebration throughout the game.
Despite a combined 59 points from Banchero (36) and Wagner (23), the Magic were unable to overcome four double-digit scorers for the Celtics, who were led by 30 points from Derrick White (7 of 12 from 3).
Beyond Orlando’s star duo, no other member of the Magic finished in double-figures. Boston’s bench also held a 26-17 advantage against the Magic reserves.
In a game that only had 5 lead changes, Boston outscored Orlando 55-37 in the second half.
Adjustments are bound to be made by both sides when they meet again Wednesday night for Game 2 at TD Garden.
The Magic at times weren’t as sharp as they would have liked and the Celtics took full advantage.
Whether it was a turnover (Orlando committed 15) or a miss in the paint (where the Magic were 3 of 11 in the first quarter), Boston jumped on the opportunity to score quickly on the other end.
The Celtics scored 24 points off 15 Orlando turnovers.
Although the Magic forced 11 turnovers, they only scored 8 points off them.
Boston regained control of the contest when it outscored Orlando 30-18 in the third quarter, a frame of the the game that has cost the Magic throughout the season.
That’s when Jrue Holiday caught fire from 3-point range, shooting 3 of 3 from beyond the arc out of halftime. Brown added 10 points in the third quarter, four of which came from the free throw line.
It didn’t help Orlando that Wagner shot 1 of 6 from distance while Boston had three different players make at least 3 triples.
Banchero and Wagner did the heavy lifting on offense to start when the duo combined for 14 of Orlando’s first 18 points in the opening.
They got some help in the second quarter.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit two triples in the second quarter, the second of which put the Magic ahead by 1 point with 1:57 left in the first half.
Caldwell-Pope was able to find some space to shoot after consistent drives by Banchero and Wagner opened the floor a bit for Orlando, who shot 7 of 18 (38.9%) from distance before the break.
Banchero hit his first three 3-pointers and posted a game-high 19 points to help the Magic outscore Boston 31-22 in the second quarter.
Sunday’s game was the fourth in his career with 30-plus points.
Wagner specifically struggled from 3-point range but found his way when he relied on crafty footwork to attack the paint and finish around the rim.
But Caldwell-Pope didn’t score again.
The Magic typically generate a ton of free throws — their 23 nightly attempts were the 7th most in the regular season.
But on Sunday, they only took 5 through the first three quarters and 11 for the game.
On the other end of the floor, Orlando regularly sent Boston to the line, which was an area the Celtics lacked entering the day.
Boston averaged a league-low 19.1 attempts before the postseason and made 13 of 18 Sunday.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Magic at Celtics
When: 7, Wednesday, TD Garden
TV: TNT/truTV/Max
Continue reading...
Paolo Banchero buried his third triple of the first half, Jonathan Isaac slammed down a dunk and Franz Wagner hit a stepback jumper.
Orlando, a double-digit underdog in Game 1 of its best-of-seven first-round series, actually led by 1 at intermission.
But in order to defeat the defending champions, it takes more than just a single stretch of effective basketball.
And as the Celtics poured it it on the second half to capture a 103-86 victory and take a 1-0 series lead in front of a national TV audience on ABC, their fans erupted in constant celebration throughout the game.
Despite a combined 59 points from Banchero (36) and Wagner (23), the Magic were unable to overcome four double-digit scorers for the Celtics, who were led by 30 points from Derrick White (7 of 12 from 3).
Beyond Orlando’s star duo, no other member of the Magic finished in double-figures. Boston’s bench also held a 26-17 advantage against the Magic reserves.
In a game that only had 5 lead changes, Boston outscored Orlando 55-37 in the second half.
Adjustments are bound to be made by both sides when they meet again Wednesday night for Game 2 at TD Garden.
What went wrong
The Magic at times weren’t as sharp as they would have liked and the Celtics took full advantage.
Whether it was a turnover (Orlando committed 15) or a miss in the paint (where the Magic were 3 of 11 in the first quarter), Boston jumped on the opportunity to score quickly on the other end.
The Celtics scored 24 points off 15 Orlando turnovers.
Although the Magic forced 11 turnovers, they only scored 8 points off them.
Boston regained control of the contest when it outscored Orlando 30-18 in the third quarter, a frame of the the game that has cost the Magic throughout the season.
That’s when Jrue Holiday caught fire from 3-point range, shooting 3 of 3 from beyond the arc out of halftime. Brown added 10 points in the third quarter, four of which came from the free throw line.
It didn’t help Orlando that Wagner shot 1 of 6 from distance while Boston had three different players make at least 3 triples.
What went right
Banchero and Wagner did the heavy lifting on offense to start when the duo combined for 14 of Orlando’s first 18 points in the opening.
They got some help in the second quarter.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit two triples in the second quarter, the second of which put the Magic ahead by 1 point with 1:57 left in the first half.
Caldwell-Pope was able to find some space to shoot after consistent drives by Banchero and Wagner opened the floor a bit for Orlando, who shot 7 of 18 (38.9%) from distance before the break.
Banchero hit his first three 3-pointers and posted a game-high 19 points to help the Magic outscore Boston 31-22 in the second quarter.
Sunday’s game was the fourth in his career with 30-plus points.
Wagner specifically struggled from 3-point range but found his way when he relied on crafty footwork to attack the paint and finish around the rim.
But Caldwell-Pope didn’t score again.
Free points
The Magic typically generate a ton of free throws — their 23 nightly attempts were the 7th most in the regular season.
But on Sunday, they only took 5 through the first three quarters and 11 for the game.
On the other end of the floor, Orlando regularly sent Boston to the line, which was an area the Celtics lacked entering the day.
Boston averaged a league-low 19.1 attempts before the postseason and made 13 of 18 Sunday.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Up next …
Magic at Celtics
When: 7, Wednesday, TD Garden
TV: TNT/truTV/Max
Continue reading...
