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BOSTON — It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Magic to come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Celtics, especially having to win twice on the road.
But Orlando gave itself no chance when Boston dominated the third quarter 36-13 and won Game 5 Tuesday night 120-89 in front of a packed TD Garden.
Paolo Banchero could only watch from the bench much of the frame when the Celtics made their run because he picked up his fifth foul early in the crucial quarter.
The Celtics, who actually trailed by 2 points at halftime, were led by a combined 58 points from 4-time All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum (35) and 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown (23) in the 31-point win.
Despite 25 points from Franz Wagner, Orlando’s season ended in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season and on the road, where coach Jamahl Mosley has yet to win during his time with the franchise.
As the Magic shift their focus to the offseason, the Celtics will face either the Knicks or the Pistons in the second round in their quest to repeat as league champions.
Boston, which led by as many as 34 points, was without 6-time All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday (right hamstring strain) for a third straight game but it didn’t matter.
Banchero picked up his third foul less than a minute into the second half. Fifteen seconds later, he earned his fourth foul.
Banchero couldn’t believe it when he picked up his fifth foul at the 9:46 mark of the third quarter. Mosley challenged the call but was unsuccessful following a quick review.
After Banchero exited less than 3 minutes into the second half, Jonathan Isaac played the rest of the frame in his place.
It wasn’t just the foul calls that gave Banchero issues. Although he reached double figures before the half, he shot just 3 of 10 from the field. He failed to crack 20 points for the first time this series.
With him off the court, Orlando’s offense struggled. At times throughout the night, it became stagnant when the team settled for shots instead of moving the ball around.
During a quarter that’s been a problem all season long for the Magic, the Celtics made 5 triples.
Cole Anthony (2 points) was able to see the court more (15 minutes in Game 5 vs. 2 in Game 4) but shot 1 of 6 from the field and 0 of 4 from 3 with 3 fouls.
Anthony Black missed his first 6 shots from the floor. Although he grabbed 8 rebounds, the second-year pro was limited to just 8 points in 21 minutes.
Not much after halftime. But before it, plenty.
Wagner hit the back of his head on the floor early in the game but that didn’t slow him down from posting 17 points in the first half.
Not attempting a 3 until the 7:22 mark of the third quarter, Wagner attacked the paint with success and powered Orlando to a 2-point lead at halftime.
The Magic did an solid job in limiting Boston from distance when they held them to 0 of 6 from distance in the first half.
Orlando’s defense forced 6 turnovers and it scored 9 off them in the first quarter alone.
In the same frame, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — Orlando’s largest offseason acquisition — hit a pair of triples in the opening quarter but didn’t convert again.
Boston missed its first six shots from beyond the arc but shot 13 of 18 in the second half.
Meanwhile, the Magic never had any luck from distance.
Shooting 8 of 31 (21.1%) from 3-point range, the Magic at one point missed 16 triples in a row.
That all led to a 15-point difference in favor of Boston on 3s alone.
Orlando controlled the offensive glass before the break when it racked up 10 offensive boards compared to Boston’s 1.
That led to 9 second-chance points by the half, but 7 were scored in the opening quarter.
Boston had no second-chance points in the first half and finished with just 3.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
But Orlando gave itself no chance when Boston dominated the third quarter 36-13 and won Game 5 Tuesday night 120-89 in front of a packed TD Garden.
Paolo Banchero could only watch from the bench much of the frame when the Celtics made their run because he picked up his fifth foul early in the crucial quarter.
The Celtics, who actually trailed by 2 points at halftime, were led by a combined 58 points from 4-time All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum (35) and 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown (23) in the 31-point win.
Despite 25 points from Franz Wagner, Orlando’s season ended in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season and on the road, where coach Jamahl Mosley has yet to win during his time with the franchise.
As the Magic shift their focus to the offseason, the Celtics will face either the Knicks or the Pistons in the second round in their quest to repeat as league champions.
Boston, which led by as many as 34 points, was without 6-time All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday (right hamstring strain) for a third straight game but it didn’t matter.
What went wrong
Banchero picked up his third foul less than a minute into the second half. Fifteen seconds later, he earned his fourth foul.
Banchero couldn’t believe it when he picked up his fifth foul at the 9:46 mark of the third quarter. Mosley challenged the call but was unsuccessful following a quick review.
After Banchero exited less than 3 minutes into the second half, Jonathan Isaac played the rest of the frame in his place.
It wasn’t just the foul calls that gave Banchero issues. Although he reached double figures before the half, he shot just 3 of 10 from the field. He failed to crack 20 points for the first time this series.
With him off the court, Orlando’s offense struggled. At times throughout the night, it became stagnant when the team settled for shots instead of moving the ball around.
During a quarter that’s been a problem all season long for the Magic, the Celtics made 5 triples.
Cole Anthony (2 points) was able to see the court more (15 minutes in Game 5 vs. 2 in Game 4) but shot 1 of 6 from the field and 0 of 4 from 3 with 3 fouls.
Anthony Black missed his first 6 shots from the floor. Although he grabbed 8 rebounds, the second-year pro was limited to just 8 points in 21 minutes.
What went right
Not much after halftime. But before it, plenty.
Wagner hit the back of his head on the floor early in the game but that didn’t slow him down from posting 17 points in the first half.
Not attempting a 3 until the 7:22 mark of the third quarter, Wagner attacked the paint with success and powered Orlando to a 2-point lead at halftime.
The Magic did an solid job in limiting Boston from distance when they held them to 0 of 6 from distance in the first half.
Orlando’s defense forced 6 turnovers and it scored 9 off them in the first quarter alone.
In the same frame, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — Orlando’s largest offseason acquisition — hit a pair of triples in the opening quarter but didn’t convert again.
Difference from distance
Boston missed its first six shots from beyond the arc but shot 13 of 18 in the second half.
Meanwhile, the Magic never had any luck from distance.
Shooting 8 of 31 (21.1%) from 3-point range, the Magic at one point missed 16 triples in a row.
That all led to a 15-point difference in favor of Boston on 3s alone.
Second-chance scoring
Orlando controlled the offensive glass before the break when it racked up 10 offensive boards compared to Boston’s 1.
That led to 9 second-chance points by the half, but 7 were scored in the opening quarter.
Boston had no second-chance points in the first half and finished with just 3.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
