Celtics Take Commanding 3-1 Series Lead over Magic Behind Tatum's 37

ORLANDO, Fla. – Sunday night was the Orlando Magic's last stand.

Hosting Game 4 in a rowdy Kia Center and fighting to avoid going down 3-1 to the No. 2-seed Boston Celtics, Orlando, like a prizefighter refusing to say die, expended every last breath it had to get to the final buzzer.

But powered by 37 points from a leading Jayson Tatum and a 16-7 close over the final 4:18, the Celtics were too much for the Magic in a gutsy 107-98 victory in the Kia Center.

"They did a good job of slowing the game down and getting whatever they were trying to do, whether it was a matchup or isolation," Paolo Banchero said. "You could just tell their experience showed. They weren't rattled at all. They were making big plays on both sides; offensive rebounds. They were just really sharp, I would say, in those last four minutes."

"I think there's some communication breakdowns in a couple pieces that allowed them to get out in the open court, and then just our level of communication and attention to detail in those moments matter."

Boston's win marked its first in Orlando since October 2022 and the Magic's first home postseason loss under Mosley.

Above all, it sends the best-of-seven first-round playoff series back to TD Garden with the defending champions owning a commanding three-games-to-one lead.

The Magic have subscribed to the theory that a series doesn't start until a road team wins a game. But to avoid a second straight first-round exit and advance to the second round, Orlando now faces no choice but to win three straight elimination games.

Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 31 points and seven rebounds, and Franz Wagner followed with 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Orlando shot 43.2 percent from the field and 8-for-30 from three.

Tatum added 14 rebounds to his scoring and had three other Celtics join him in double figures: Jaylen Brown (21, 11 rebounds), Kristaps Porzingis (19) and Jrue Holiday (18, seven rebounds, seven assists).

Boston shot nearly identical percentages to Orlando: 43.6 percent from the field and 9-for-31 from the field. But, Boston crucially got to the free-throw line 32 times and converted 30 times, while Orlando shot 14-of-20 from the stripe.

"That's too many," Mosley said postgame. "We were attacking the basket the exact same way. Now, we've got to knock them down when they get there, that's a big portion of it. We had to understand the whistle was going to head in that direction after what's been said. So, we have to just continue to be smart there, hold our ground and get positioning earlier, and make sure we show our hands."

The Celtics out-rebounded the Magic 45-38 and converted 10 Magic turnovers into 15 points, while Orlando turned 11 Boston giveaways into only eight points.

Paolo's heroic effort falls short

Banchero gave it his all in Game 4.

He logged 40 minutes of action in the result, meaning he's finished with 40-plus minutes of playing time in every game in this series.

While he still earned his points, Boston's defense made him labor for it. Banchero shot 12-for-32 from the field, made two of his six threes and converted on five of nine foul shots. He logged four turnovers in the result.

"I think there was like one stretch in the third quarter, shot like three in a row, I was probably forcing right there," Banchero said of his shot selection. "But I really was just taking the shots they were giving me. They were trying to keep me from getting to the paint, and they just weren't falling at a high clip, but I had to stay aggressive."

Paolo Banchero's shot chart from Sunday's Game 4 loss to the Boston Celtics. | NBA.com

But, Banchero's scoring gave him his seventh consecutive 25-point playoff game, joining Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most all-time by players age 23 or younger.

It was Banchero's sixth 30-plus-point playoff game, tying him for fourth all-time in Magic franchise history in just his 11th career playoff appearance.

Tracy McGrady: 9 (15 games)
Dwight Howard: 8 (57 games)
Penny Hardaway: 7 (41 games)
Shaquille O'Neal: 6 (36 games)
Paolo Banchero: 6 (11 games)

And, along with Wagner, they became the first pair of Magic teammates to ever both log four straight 20-point playoff games. Together, they combined for 55 points on 22-54 shooting.

"I mean, they're continuing to push and press to find a way to get the job done," Mosley said. "These two, they're trying to do their best to put the team on their back and get the right looks, the right rotation.

Up Next

Boston hosts Orlando for Game 5 of the series on Tuesday, April 29 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV and FanDuel Sports Network Florida.

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