How to Watch Celtics vs Magic Playoff Game 1: TV Channel, Predictions, More

This weekend, the 61-21 Boston Celtics will begin their title defense with a first round, 2-7 playoff matchup against the 41-41 Orlando Magic.

Four-time Boston All-Star small forward Jaylen Brown has been grappling with a knee injury that required an injection, while six-time All-Defensive team guard Jrue Holiday has been struggling with a finger issue for much of the season.

Still, the Celtics should be able to handle the jumbo-sized Magic, who have been struggling mightily on offense all year, and have had problems defending guards since Jalen Suggs underwent a season-ending knee surgery in March.

How to Watch

The action tips off on Sunday, April 20, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Boston will get to enjoy a long break before Game 2, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

Mark your calendars 🗓️

Find tickets: https://t.co/x2qOXsx3Th pic.twitter.com/jBPCWYg58K
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 16, 2025

As the higher playoff seed, the Celtics will enjoy homecourt advantage, meaning the series will start in Boston and — if it goes to a Game 7 — the series will also wrap up in Boston.

More Boston Celtics News: Stats Prove Jrue Holiday Injury Could be Major Setback For Celtics

The winner of the series will go on to face the victor of the 3-6 playoff matchup between the 51-31 New York Knicks and the 44-38 Detroit Pistons.

Predictions

Boston, a far deeper and more talented team, should be able to take care of business against Orlando in all four of these home games, if necessary. The Magic don't have nearly enough scoring in the backcourt to mount a serious threat overall.

Still, with some home cooking, Orlando could probably sneak a Game 3 or Game 4 victory before suffering a five-game "gentleman's sweep" at the hands of the champs.

Look for the Celtics to come out strong in Game 1.

Celtics 120, Magic 105.

In the regular season, Boston went 14-2 in games where Holiday scored 15 points or more. Although he's more lauded for his prowess as a defender, the 34-year-old vet makes the Celtics much more lethal when he chooses to shoot.

JRUE HOLIDAY WITH THE STEAL ‼️

CLAMPS. IN. THE. CLUTCH.

BOS up 1 with 1.1 left on ABC pic.twitter.com/w0lOiBeuOb
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2024

The 6-foot-4 UCLA product has been dealing with a rare mallet finger injury on his right pinky for much of the season, although his shooting has stabilized a bit of late. He connected on 38.6 percent of 3-point tries in March and 41.7 percent of those triple attempts this month.

More Boston Celtics News: Jrue Holiday Receives Major Health Update Ahead of Playoffs

In 62 healthy cumulative regular season bouts, Holiday averaged 11.1 points on .443/.353/.909 shooting splits, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals a night.

Starting center Kristaps Porzingis is the Celtics' third-most important offensive contributor when healthy. An adept rim protector, the 7-foot-2 big man was only available for just 42 of 82 bouts this season, but proved essential when he was healthy. The one-time All-Star posted averages of 19.5 points on .483/.412/.809 shooting splits, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.7 steals a night.

Boston shouldn't have a problem winning this first-round series. Really, the Celtics shouldn't have trouble until the Eastern Conference Finals, when they'll most likely square off against the 64-18 Cleveland Cavaliers.

But how quickly the Celtics take care of the competition could depend on their role players being healthy-ish and hitting their shots consistently. Injury question marks like Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis could be the biggest X-factors in Boston's title defense.

More Boston Celtics News:

Celtics Teammates React to Jaylen Brown's First Practice Since Knee Procedure

Former All-Star Claims Celtics Legend Was Tougher to Defend Than Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant

Celtics’ First-Round Opponent Becoming Clearer as Regular Season Nears End

Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Reignites NBA, NFL Drama with Latest Comments

For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.