Magic Defeat Celtics in Jonathan Isaac Debut
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic has two reasons to celebrate tonight.
First, the team defeated the NBA's best Boston Celtics on Monday night 113-98 in front of its home fans.
And second, the long-awaited return of forward Jonathan Isaac finally came to fruition.
Isaac checked into the game at the 7:00 mark of the first quarter for his first NBA action in 904 days. The 2017 first round pick finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two steals in 10 minutes off the bench.
Heading into the contest as the fifth-best team in the NBA at taking care of the basketball, Boston was forced into 18 turnovers, leading to 24 fast break points for the Magic.
After falling behind double-digits in the second quarter, Boston stormed back after a 16-1 run, but a strong second half from Orlando ultimately sealed the deal.
Coming into this matchup with a 2-1 lead in the season series, the Magic closed out the finale with a win in front of its home crowd
For Orlando, Paolo Banchero (23) and Wendell Carter Jr. (21) led the way, with Cole Anthony following shortly behind with 18 points off the bench.
Jayson Tatum (26) and Jaylen Brown (26) led the way offensively for the Celtics, with Sam Hauser (13) providing a big spark off the bench as well.
Orlando is back in action on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers.
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