Inside The Celtics

Celtics' Loss to Magic Highlights Their Most Concerning Traits

The Magic bested the Celtics 113-96 on Friday, preventing Boston from punching its ticket to the quarterfinals of the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament.

Bobby Krivitsky

Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
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In Friday's 113-96 loss at the Amway Center, the most concerning traits of this Boston Celtics team were on display.

They again struggled to combat a physical defense. And the Orlando Magic also utilized that force to generate a 21-6 advantage in second-chance scoring, including a 10-0 edge in the final frame to help seal their double-digit win.

Former Celtic Moritz Wagner produced nine of his 27 points on second-chance opportunities, leading all participants in both categories.

Boston also continues to struggle after halftime. It's a years-long issue. One this team must figure out this season if it is to raise Banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters.

The hosts staged a 17-0 run to open the third quarter. That brought another hot topic surrounding the Celtics to light.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla declined to take a timeout during that stretch. However, Orlando used one, and the visitors continued to struggle after the pause in the action.

The same applies to what unfolded following Mazzulla calling them in the second half.

Sometimes, Boston's bench boss opts against doing so because he believes his team must lay in the bed it has made. It seemed that was the reason for not taking a timeout while the Celtics got convincingly outplayed on Friday.

Again, even when he exercised them, it didn't do any good. The C's continued to commit turnovers, miss free throws, provide minimal resistance defensively, and lack offensive cohesion.

The latter might be what is most concerning.

The Magic manufactured 60 points in the paint to Boston's 40. At the other end, the Celtics shot 7/29 (24.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

When their offense lacks balance and effective on and off-ball movement, if threes are not falling, it tends to take from their defense and zap their energy. They seem convinced there's no counter they'll turn to so they can punch back.

And as if all of that wasn't enough, Kristaps Porzingis left the game in that nightmare of a third quarter due to left calf tightness and did not return.

The seven-foot-three center told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe he felt a tweak running the floor. He'll have an MRI on his left calf tomorrow, but he doesn't think the injury is too serious.

Now for a deep dive into how the issues outlined above manifested in Friday's loss to Orlando, a defeat dropping the Celtics to second in Group C. Their 2-1 in-season tournament record is identical to that of the Brooklyn Nets. 

But the latter has a plus-eight point differential; the former's is zero. Records are the first tiebreaker, but that category is the second one, meaning Boston is in danger of not advancing past the group stage.

1. As expected, with Jrue Holiday unavailable due to a right ankle sprain, the Celtics started Al Horford in his absence.

While the Magic begin games with Paolo Banchero at the four, given his size and the physicality of an Orlando defense tied with Boston's for the second-best defensive rating in the NBA, it makes sense Joe Mazzulla would want to pair Horford with Kristaps Porzingis to start.

The 16-year veteran's significance to his team probably weighed most heavily in him not staying in his sixth-man role with Holiday out.

2. Derrick White exited the game late in the first quarter and went to the locker room. The former Colorado Buffalo took a hard shot on what should've gotten whistled as an illegal screen by Banchero, who turned his shoulder into White as he set the pick.

The sixth-year veteran stayed down, clutching his arm, before Mazzulla took a timeout when Boston got the ball back. The training staff then came to check on him before he departed down the tunnel.

White returned to the bench to start the second period, with the Celtics listing him as probable to return due to a left forearm contusion.

3. The visitors staged a 10-3 run and outscored the hosts 14-6 in the final four minutes of the first frame, taking a 30-19 advantage into the second quarter.

Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 12 points on 4/5 shooting in the first 12 minutes. Defensively, the Celtics held Orlando to 36.4 percent shooting.

4. In the following frame, the Magic generated seven second-chance points by the midway mark. They entered halftime with a 9-4 edge in that category, also reflecting how Boston did better at limiting them to one shot per possession as the period progressed.

But those extra opportunities helped the hosts stage a 15-4 run. They were playing with more energy and physicality than the visitors for much of the quarter.

5. But the Celtics picked up their performance, overcoming shooting 3/9 from beyond the arc by finding success inside.

They produced 14 points in the paint in the second frame, matching their output in the first. That helped them maintain a 56-48 edge at halftime.

It also included capitalizing on a play they've fallen in love with this season.

Usually, it's an action that starts with a pick-and-roll, with the ball getting to the screener as he dives to the free-throw line or a bit deeper in the middle of the paint. The center, stationed in the corner, then cuts baseline for a dunk. Usually, they run it for Porzingis. But in the second quarter in Orlando, they dialed it up for Luke Kornet, who finished with a flush.

The seven-foot-two center was excellent in the first half, contributing ten points and two blocks off the bench.

6. Boston also manufactured a bucket on a play familiar to its fan base. Marcus Smart and Brown had excellent on-court chemistry and could consistently sell a dribble handoff before the latter cut backdoor for points at the rim.

While it looks a bit different with Porzingis and Brown, it's proven potent. But Friday at the Amway Center, they ran it with Brown initiating and Jayson Tatum cutting backdoor for a basket at the cylinder. 

That's an action they can tap into to get even more from having their two best players share the floor.

7. The second period also saw the officials give out technicals like there was a Black Friday sale on them.

In less than a minute, Brown got one for voicing his displeasure after a turnover that led to an alley-oop to Cole Anthony. Banchero then received one following his third foul. And after Porzingis delivered a dime to Tatum for a dunk, the latter got hit with a T for hanging on the rim. That last one was the worst of the bunch.

8. Whatever's at the root of Boston's years-long issue of struggling to start second halves, often playing lethargically after the break, it needs to get solved this season.

It seems like more of a mindset-related problem, especially when considering roster turnover and the reshaped core for this campaign. Whatever the reason for why this persists, it's not a trait of a championship team.

Friday, Orlando went on a 17-0 run in the third quarter, taking the lead 67-62. The visitors went scoreless for 4:40 before a free throw by White ended their drought, trimming their deficit to 67-63.

While Orlando took a timeout with momentum firmly on its side, Mazzulla never utilized one in an attempt to allow his team to collect itself.

Their struggles led to the Celtics being outscored 29-18 in the third period and trailing 77-74 entering the last 12 minutes.

9. Porzingis exited the game in the third frame, with his return ruled out due to left calf tightness.

10. The Magic's momentum continued to start the fourth quarter, staging a 10-0 run to expand their advantage to 87-74.

Even after timeouts, Boston continued to play poorly, turning the ball over, missing free throws, and providing minimal resistance defensively. The visitors had far less energy than the hosts and struggled to combat the latter's physicality.

11. In the final 12 minutes, Orlando outscored its guests 36-22.

A stat effectively capturing what unfolded on Friday is the hosts generating a 21-6 edge in second-chance points, including 10-0 in the last period.

They played with more physicality and energy than the visitors in their 113-96 win.

12. The Celtics now return home to host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday evening. That game will tip off at 6:00 EST.

Further Reading

Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis Discuss Their Quickly Cultivated Chemistry: 'An Automatic Connection'

Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Best Bucks to Stay atop East at Thanksgiving

Jrue Holiday Shares His Perspective on First Matchup vs. Bucks Since They Traded Him

Kristaps Porzingis Explains Why Celtics Have NBA's Best Clutch Record

Celtics Discuss Significance of Rivalry Win vs. 76ers for No. 1 Seed in East

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Chemistry with Jaylen Brown: 'I Love Playing with Him'

Kristaps Porzingis Gives Glimpse of How He'll Boost Celtics Late-Game Offense

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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