Magic Rally Against Celtics

Orlando, FL— The Magic continue to find a way to defy the odds as they took down the reigning and defending NBA champions in the Boston Celtics tonight in a thrilling 108-104 comeback victory.

Key Players on Injury Report

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (illness) was a last-minute scratch and didn’t play in tonight’s game as Al Horford got the start in place of him. For Orlando, they would get Jalen Suggs (ankle) back after missing the last game. Still, they continue to miss Paolo Banchero (oblique), Franz Wagner (oblique), Moe Wagner (knee), and Gary Harris (hamstring) who has now missed his 12th consecutive game in a row.

Changes in the Magic Starting Five

“Right before we came out for the tipoff,” Joe Mazzula on when he found out Tatum wouldn’t be playing. “He did what he tried to do to try to play, just wasn’t able to.”

The Magic made a big change in the starting five, moving Wendell Carter Jr. to the bench in place of two-way guard Trevelin Queen, who got the first start of his NBA career.

“He’s not afraid,” Jamahl Mosley said of Trevelin Queen. “He’s not afraid of big moments, not afraid to take on challenges, I thought he did an amazing job guarding tonight and taking big shots.”

Jaylen Brown Propels the Celtics

Without Tatum in the lineup, Jaylen Brown came out very aggressively and was assertive early on, scoring 15 of his 35 points in the first quarter of play. Boston collectively came out and played very well, getting contributions from Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristpas Porzingis, etc. 

Orlando struggled early on in that first half of play shooting the ball poorly, committing nine turnovers, and struggling to find any kind of consistency really on both sides of the ball. Boston would go into the halftime locker room with a sizable lead of 58-43.

Second Half Comeback For Orlando

The Magic were laser-focused coming out to begin the second half and the intensity picked up significantly for this team as they outscored the Celtics 36-21 in the third period alone. It started with the rookie Tristan da Silva getting a steal, going coast-to-coast, and drawing the foul on Jaylen Brown as the momentum began to swing in the direction of the home team. 

“Nobody had any doubt, any ounce of doubt that we were out of it,” Jalen Suggs said of the second-half adjustments that led to the comeback “To come back in the second half against a team like that that’s coming off a chip, a lot of veterans, a lot of great players over there—We had complete trust in one another.” 

Jaylen Brown would respond with two back-to-back dunks as he began flexing on the Magic and Jamahl Mosley would quickly call timeout as Boston led 68-59 at that point. Orlando would continue to fight to turn this game around as Trevelin Queen knocked down a corner three, made a reverse layup cutting backdoor, and all of a sudden the Magic tied the game at 69 apiece fueled by a 19-6 run.

Anthony Black and Wendell Carter Jr would knock down two more shots from long range to propel the Magic and the game would be tied at 79 each going into the final period of play.

Team Play Completes 4th Quarter Comeback

Orlando would start the fourth quarter with some momentum with baskets by Jonathan Isaac extending the Magic lead to 86-79 before Jaylen Brown got to the line making two free throws and Jrue Holiday knocked down a triple keeping the game close.

After the Magic were up 10 points with 3:36 left in the game it took a turn and got very chippy. After the whistle, both Goga Bitadze and Kristaps Porzingins got into it as Jalen Suggs got caught in the middle of the altercation. Both Suggs and Porzingins were assessed technical fouls and Bitadze was ejected from the game.

The Celtics would respond with a Jrue Holiday three-ball, Jaylen Brown making a tough basket inside on Suggs, and all of a sudden the Magic now lead 105-104 with one minute left in the game.

On the Magic’s final possession of the game, Trevelin Queen drove the ball inside, collapsed the defense, and kicked it out to a wide-open Tristan da Silva who nailed the dagger three in the left corner with just over nine seconds left in the game to put the Magic up four points. Boston would miss on the ensuing possession, sealing a victory for the Magic.

Magic Players’ Post-Game Thoughts

“For me individually it was just always having the mental,” Trevelin Queen said of his performance. “I think I believed in myself that I belong when the opportunity came but it was a belief in myself and my teammates talking to me and giving me all the confidence I needed.”

This is now the second consecutive game in a row the Magic have had a second-half rally after coming back from 25 down on Saturday night against the Heat and now a 15-point comeback versus the Celtics. 

“It shows the toughness of this group, the togetherness, how much everyone loves each other,” Tristan da Silva said of the last two games. “Stepping out there and doing it for each other.”

All Around Effort Seals Win for Orlando

For Boston, Jaylen Brown led the way scoring a game-high 35 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and shot 15 of 29 (51.7%) from the floor. The Celtics were held to a season-low eight three-pointers made and shot just 25% from behind the arch.

“I think just being physical,” Jaylen Brown on the Magic defensively. “The team that sets the tone often gets the game kind of called in their favor. I feel like we fouled them more than we liked.”

For Orlando, it was a well-rounded team effort as they had five players score in double figures with players like Tristan da Silva (18), Trevelin Queen (17), Jalen Suggs (16), Wendell Carter Jr (11), and Cole Anthony (10). The Magic were not only stout defensively but also took care of their opportunities at the charity stripe knocking down all 21 free throw attempts, which ultimately was the difference in the game. 

“It’s who we are,” Jamahl Mosley said of the team’s performance. “We talk about the belief you have to have, the work ethic you have to have, the togetherness that we have. That’s this group. I don’t think there’s any other way to put it. I think that’s what they’ve shown, that’s what they continue to prove, and they believe it.”

Orlando has now improved to 19-12 on the season, 12-2 at home, and they will have an even better Christmas coming off a thrilling victory over the defending champions.