Celtics get huge bench boost in win over Magic
The Celtics defeated the Magic 111-107, avenging their loss on Friday night. The bench unit stepped up when they were needed most to get back on track.
Orlando quickly jumped out to a 21-9 lead, once again getting into the paint with ease for easy points. After the quick start, the Celtics settled in, closing out the quarter 21-12 with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Anfernee Simons doing everything on offense, combining for 28 of the 30 first-quarter points.
The Celtics continued their run to begin the 2nd quarter, going on a 14-2 run with all 14 points being scored by Anfernee Simons. This hot shooting streak ended up being pivotal, as they would score just 24 points in the quarter, with Orlando closing the first half on an 18-6 run. The game was now tied 54-54.
Outside of Anfernee Simons' incredible shooting, the 2nd quarter was a major struggle offensively. The team shot just 9/22, with only 2 made shots in the restricted area. Orlando affected the shots at the rim, which forced the Celtics to take primarily jump shots.
On defense, this was the Celtics best quarter of the game. They allowed just 21 points and forced 7 turnovers. The Magic's offensive approach was the opposite, taking 11/16 shots from the restricted area and making just 2 shots outside of it. In the modern NBA, taking just 4 three-pointer's in a quarter plays right into the defense's hands.
In the third quarter the offensive struggles continued for the Celtics, scoring just 24 points on 33% shooting. They did save themselves on the boards, grabbing 5 offensive rebounds for 8 second-chance points. This was another rough quarter of shooting, going just 2/12 on shots outside of the restricted area.
Luckily their play on defense continued to keep them in the game, allowing just 26 points on 39% shooting. They did give up 6 offensive rebounds, which led to 7 second-chance points, but still managed to challenge shots at the rim, forcing the Magic to make difficult jump shots. Heading into the 4th quarter, the Magic led 80-78.
The Celtics played their best offense when they needed it most in the 4th quarter, scoring 33 points on 68% shooting. This time, they were able to score on all 3 levels, making all 6 of their shots in the restricted area, as well as going 7/13 from mid-range and from three.
The biggest surprise was the bench unit, which made all 7 of their shots to score over half the team's points in the quarter. With just 12 seconds, Jordan Walsh made a three-pointer to take a 5-point lead before eventually winning 111-107.
The good
The bench unit came through in a game where they were sorely needed, with most of the starters having an off night. Anfernee Simons was red hot in the first half, scoring all 25 of his points.
Luka Garza had his best game of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, with 4 of them being offensive rebounds. Jordan Walsh did not light up the box score but made the most important shot of the game to close it out.
A big problem the Celtics have faced has been a lack of easy shots when the three-pointers aren't falling. In this game, they took just 33 attempts from downtown, making a concerted effort to get into the paint. This led to 25 free throw attempts, as well as 13 offensive rebounds leading to 18 second-chance points.
Defensively, they were much better than the initial matchup, allowing 107 points while forcing 17 turnovers. They guarded the three-point line much better as well, holding the Magic to 23% from outside the arc.
The bad
Josh Minott and Sam Hauser were as quiet as it gets, playing a combined 33 minutes and scoring 0 points. Payton Pritchard was in a similar boat, scoring just 5 points on the night. Derrick White scored his second-highest point total of the season with 21 points but was still inefficient, shooting 39% from the field.
Fouls were once again an issue, committing 27 for the game, with Neemias Queta even fouling out. This led to the Magic taking 33 free throws, keeping them in the game despite playing poorly on offense.
Conclusion
This was a good win to help the Celtics get back on track. The offense had some unexpected heroes to save the day, and the defense shut down a team that scored 123 points on them just two days prior.
The Celtics will fly to Philadelphia for their third matchup against the rival 76ers. With the Celtics just 1.5 games behind in the standings, this is an early chance to get right back into the playoff mix. Will they be able to get another tough victory, or will the dreaded inconsistencies come back to haunt them again?
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