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Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Magic: Boston Can't Overcome Shooting Woes While Orlando Wins on the Margins
On the heels of a grueling road trip, the Celtics' fatigue was evident in Friday night's 117-109 loss to the Magic.
Boston repeatedly settled for threes, often after only one pass. The hosts never truly found their rhythm offensively and took over half their shots from beyond the arc despite a lack of success.
The Celtics went 11/46 (23.9 percent) from long range, a volume and inefficiency reflecting playing with tired legs.
But Orlando also shot below 30 percent from beyond the arc (27.3 percent). The difference is the Magic spoiled Robert Williams' season debut by finding ways to win on the margins, as detailed in the deep dive below into their victory in the first half of a miniseries in Boston.
Robert Williams Checks the Most Important Boxes in His Season Debut
Williams first checked into Friday night's tilt at the 7:03 mark in the opening frame, receiving a massive ovation from the TD Garden faithful.
During Williams' four-minute shift, Marcus Smart sold a dribble handoff to Jaylen Brown, and Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner took the cheese, giving Smart a path toward the paint.
That forced Mo Bamba to rotate off Williams. And with Bol Bol never matching up with anyone in transition, then falling for the fake dribble handoff, too, Smart lofted a lob to the Timelord for the latter's first points of the season.
And after getting Bol on the elbow, negating a block where he took a perfect angle to knock the ball out of Bol's hand as he went up for a dunk, Williams rotated over to swat a Bamba attempt out of bounds in the second quarter.
What matters most is the Timelord was moving well in his first game back. And the more Williams played, the more comfortable he looked with his knee and conditioning. A play illustrating that came late in the third frame when he dove to the floor for a loose ball.
He finished with nine points on 5/5 shooting -- all dunks -- five rebounds, a steal and a block.
Al Horford's Ejection Provides a Spark
Less than 1:30 into the third frame, Al Horford got ejected from the game for elbowing Mo Wagner below the belt.
The Celtics, fatigued from a grueling road trip, were already out of sync offensively. With Boston regularly jacking up threes after one pass, the hosts went 7/25 (28 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half. That accounted for 61% of their shots.
And in the immediate aftermath of Horford getting tossed, the Celtics' frustration with the officiating grew, and their focus lessened. It reached a boiling point with Jayson Tatum picking up a technical.
Tatum's T had the crowd voicing its displeasure with the officials in unison. Boston utilized that energy and their anger with the referees to fuel an 11-2 burst, trimming Orlando's largest lead of the night from 19 down to 10.
That run included a thunderous jam from Brown and a put-back dunk by the Timelord that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
Playing with more energy also translated to the Celtics outscoring the Magic 14-9 in the final five minutes of the third quarter, entering the fourth trailing 88-81.
Magic Fend Off the Celtics in the Final Frame
While Boston turned Al Horford's ejection into a spark to get back into the game, the Celtics couldn't find their rhythm from beyond the arc or string together enough stops to complete their rally.
Throughout the night, Mo Wagner was a handful to deal with down low, scoring 15 of his team-high 25 points in the paint. Thirteen of those came in the restricted area.
Orlando also turned 15 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points. Markelle Fultz swooped in to grab three of those, including one to help seal the win, retrieving a Cole Anthony missed three, turning into a mid-range jumper he swished to give the visitors a 106-96 advantage with 4:31 left.
And in a game where both teams shot below 30 percent from beyond the arc, the Magic converting 14 turnovers by the hosts into 23 points, further drove home them finding ways to win on the margins.
Rookie sensation Paolo Banchero finished with 20 points, five assists, and five rebounds. The most-recent first overall NBA draft pick repeatedly powered his way into the paint, translating to him taking eight free throws, the most on Orlando, and capitalizing on seven.
Between his ability off the dribble and knocking down 3/6 attempts from beyond the arc, including delivering the dagger when he buried a three from the right corner to give the Magic a 113-99 lead with 2:44 left, he presented a challenge that Boston's defense had trouble solving.
Tatum registered a game-high 31 points in the loss, but 20 came in the first half. He was much quieter in the final two quarters.
Brown scored 26 points but was also responsible for seven turnovers, more than anyone else on either side.
The Celtics entered the night still leading the NBA in points per game, so it's not as if their offense has cratered. But dating back to the miniseries against the Heat, they've regressed from a blistering hot start that seemed unsustainable, with most of the team shooting well above their averages.
It's a testament to the importance of Boston continuing to lock back in defensively, a cause made easier by Robert Williams' return. He'll also help them limit opponents to one shot per possession with greater frequency as he gets more comfortable.
And as the Celtics strengthen their ability to win in other ways beyond shooting the lights out, as Friday's game highlighted, they'll need to do a better job taking care of the ball if this is going to be the season responsible for raising banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters.
Up Next
The Celtics host the Magic again on Sunday in the second of this miniseries. The game tips off at 3:00 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 Tuesday's Celtics-Lakers Game
Celtics Reportedly Aren't Considering Swinging Trade for Center Despite Chatter
Here's Where Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Landed on Latest NBA MVP Ladder
