Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Magic: Boston Stumbles Down the Stretch, Falling for the Fourth Time in Five Games

Paolo Banchero stars as Magic sweep two-game series with Celtics at TD Garden.

Bobby Krivitsky

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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If someone told you that the leading scorers in Friday night's Celtics-Magic game were Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and Mo Wagner registered the team-high for Orlando, you would probably assume Boston, playing at home, emerged victorious. Except that's not how Robert Williams' season debut went.

And if informed that in Sunday's rematch, the host limited the Magic to 95 points, you'd likely again guess that the Celtics won. If so, you would be 0/2.

As well as Boston played defensively, limiting Orlando to 38.4 percent shooting from the field, the Celtics couldn't get shots to go down either.

Post-game, from Joe Mazzulla to Grant Williams and Jaylen Brown, Boston sounded like a team pleased with the shots they created.

Brown labeled Sunday's loss "one of those nights where they (shots) didn't go down, but we got whatever we wanted," adding it "felt like there was a lid on the rim."

But shooting 34.8 percent from the field isn't purely about a lack of luck or having an off night. There were plenty of quality looks that didn't splash through the net, but the same is true for attempts on possessions that lacked ball movement. There was also often a different outcome when generating paint touches.

Now, for a further examination of what stood out in the Celtics' 95-92 loss to the Magic, Boston's fourth defeat in its last five games.

Paolo Banchero Dominates First Half Against Three-Point Happy Celtics

Paolo Banchero scored 11 of the Magic's 26 points in the opening quarter. The NBA's most recent first-overall draft pick went 2/2 from beyond the arc, but he impressed more when attacking off the dribble.

There was also an earlier instance where he got Robert Williams to open his hips, then used the Timelord's momentum against him, pulling back on a downhill drive, staring at Williams to freeze him where he stood before drilling a mid-range jumper.

At the other end of the floor, the hosts didn't generate enough paint touches and didn't create enough quality scoring chances with their off-ball activity.

Marcus Smart cutting into the paint and operating against smaller defenders down low is a complementary component to Boston's offense that has become under-utilized. With Jayson Tatum out due to personal reasons, the Celtics need all the sources of scoring they can produce.

Instead, Boston consistently settled for attempts from beyond the arc, taking 11 of 21 shots from long range despite going 2/11.

That included some ill-advised looks, like a corner three from Sam Hauser, taken while jumping toward the baseline. Forced field goal attempts like that speak to Joe Mazzulla playing his primary rotation players for too many minutes.

When players like Hauser, seeing his floor time shrink, or Payton Pritchard, who got in for four minutes but most games, stays glued to the bench, there's a tendency to get desperate. That can help, but also often leads to making bad choices while trying to make an impact.

In the second frame, Banchero again knocked down both threes he hoisted en route to another 11-point period.

At the other end of the floor, the hosts didn't generate enough paint touches and didn't create enough quality scoring chances with their off-ball activity. 

Marcus Smart cutting into the paint and operating against smaller defenders down low is a complementary component to Boston's offense that has become under-utilized. With Jayson Tatum out due to personal reasons, the Celtics need all the sources of scoring they can produce.

Instead, Boston consistently settled for attempts from beyond the arc, taking 11 of its 21 first-quarter shots from long range despite going 2/11. 

That included some ill-advised looks, like a corner three from Sam Hauser, taken while jumping toward the baseline. Forced field goal attempts like that speak to Joe Mazzulla playing his primary rotation players for too many minutes. 

When players like Hauser, seeing his floor time shrink, or Payton Pritchard, who started the second frame but threw up an airball and got subbed out after a four-minute shift and stays glued to the bench most games, there's a tendency to get desperate. That can help, but also often leads to making bad choices while trying to make an impact.

In Tatum's absence, the Celtics also need more from Jaylen Brown, who finished the first half with eight points on 3/10 shooting, going 0/4 from beyond the arc. 

He also committed three of the host's eight turnovers, tied with Smart for the most in the game. Two of those cost the Celtics four points, as he got too excited when trying to throw an alley-oop to Robert Williams and later delivered a pass too low for Al Horford, who was open at the hoop.

Brown also had a baseline drive that appeared like it would end with a 360 dunk turn into a miss from above the rim, leading to an Orlando layup at the other end.

The positive for Boston is that despite shooting 5/24 from beyond the arc in the opening two quarters and registering a 27.9 percent field goal percentage, the hosts enter the second half trailing by only nine.

There were good looks that didn't go down, but not enough that looked like this.

Malcolm Brogdon deserves much of the credit for keeping this game within single digits. He finished the first half with seven points, but more importantly, he's primarily responsible for getting the Celtics in the bonus for nearly the final six minutes of the second frame.

That played a pivotal role in the hosts taking 14 free throws. They capitalized on 12, representing their most reliable source of scoring.

Paint Touches and Forcing Turnovers Fuels Boston's Third-Quarter Comeback

The Celtics found their touch from beyond the arc in the third frame, burying four of ten threes. A common theme was paint touches creating higher quality and in-rhythm opportunities.

They also generated 16 points in the paint. Grant Williams, who registered seven of his 14 points in the period, consistently muscled his way there while attacking off the dribble from the perimeter.

The other key to Boston's comeback was that while the Celtics played well defensively in the first half, they went from forcing three turnovers in 24 minutes to seven in the third quarter. That included Brown ripping the ball from Cole Anthony and taking it in for one of his two thunderous transition jams on the heels of a defensive stop.

Plays like that helped wake the team and the crowd up as the hosts rallied to take a 71-68 lead into the final 12 minutes.

Boston's Offense Falters Down the Stretch

The final frame started with a 12-4 run by the Magic. Then Brown buried a three from 27 feet and followed it up with a display of how impressive his mid-range game has become, getting into the middle of the floor, then capitalizing on a fadeaway from above the right elbow.

Boston extended its counter strike to a 9-0 burst, gaining an 84-80 advantage with 5:49 remaining. 

After that, with both teams trading blows, Grant Williams took advantage of a half-hearted box out by Banchero, grabbing a missed three by Horford and banking in a put-back off the glass through contact. He then tacked on the ensuing free throw, giving the hosts an 87-85 lead with 3:50 left.

But the Celtics, who had trouble keeping Orlando's guards, Markelle Fultz in particular, off the offensive glass on Friday, and had done so well on that front Sunday, failed to limit the Magic to one-shot possessions on two pivotal plays down the stretch.

The first time, the visitors made Boston pay, as Fultz swooped in, corralled a Banchero missed layup, and kicked the ball out to Franz Wagner, who knocked down a three from above the break. That put Orlando ahead 93-89 with 1:41 on the game clock.

Shortly after that, the Celtics returned the favor, as Brogdon swished a corner three on Boston's third shot of the possession.

But at the other end, a Wagner missed three turned into Kevon Harris tracking down the loose ball in the corner. It didn't lead to points for the Magic, but it allowed them to reduce the remaining time from 33 seconds to nine.

Then came disaster. Out of a timeout, with the Celtics still trailing 93-92 and 9.1 seconds remaining, an errant pass from Grant Williams, intended for Brown, ended one of Boston's last possessions before it truly began.

After Mo Wagner capitalized on two free throws following the turnover, Grant Williams had a chance at redemption. But his three fell short, and so did the Celtics, losing 95-92 and getting swept in a two-game series against the Magic at TD Garden.

Orlando has now won six games in a row.

Up Next

The Celtics host the Pacers on Wednesday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

The Top 5 Plays from Friday's Celtics-Magic Game

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Magic: Boston Can't Overcome Shooting Woes While Orlando Wins on the Margins

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Robert Williams' Return to a Celtics Team That Found a New Identity Without Him

The Top 5 Plays from Tuesday's Celtics-Lakers Game

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Lakers: Boston's Character Comes Through in an Epic Battle Between Rivals

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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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