Jalen Suggs has most impactful game but it's not enough, and other Magic takeaways

The Orlando Magic could not complete the home-home sweep of the Boston Celtics inside Kia Center Sunday evening, losing 111-107. What were a few of our takeaways? Let's dive into it!

Jalen Suggs bursts out of cannon, forces hand amid minutes restriction:

Magic Celtics — Nov 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) in action against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While Jalen Suggs has started all seven of his games this season, he's been on a pretty strict minutes restriction, having not played more than 21 minutes since undergoing knee surgery last March, without participating in the preseason.

On the surface, that makes some sense, even though the 6-foot-4 guard has continued to be impactful in a limited sample.

That changed Sunday, with Suggs appearing in a season-high 29 minutes -- though he forced the hand with how impactful he was.

He scored 11 first-quarter points -- three away from tying his season high in total -- staying aggressive whenever he had an open look or lane to attack. He finished with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but his impact didn't stop there.

Suggs was involved in multiple tip-outs on the offensive glass; fittingly, on a Sunday, Suggs pick-six'd Derrick White in the passing lanes; he slammed the door shut on Anfernee Simons' dominant start in his second stint. His playmaking was sharp.

Suggs was everywhere, and he's consistently been the Magic's best glue guy. At some point, he will consistently be neighboring the 29 minutes he played tonight. What's important is that the former No. 5 overall pick was more than impactful, even though the results didn't follow.

Celtics' bench dominates:

Tyus Jones, Noah Penda and Jonathan Isaac all saw minutes, but Mosley elected to essentially go eight-deep for most of the night with da Silva, Anthony Black and Goga Bitadze off the bench. Boston went 10 deep, and their depth -- considered to be minimal -- completely dominated.

The Celtics' bench, led by Simons and Luka Garza -- who was critical in the fourth quarter of the game after Neemias Queta fouled out -- scored 50 points (to the Magic's 18) on 66.7 percent shooting. That's a remarkable difference, especially with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner struggling to find rhythm for most of the night!

Anfernee Simons scored 25 points -- all coming in the first half; Garza scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter; Jordan Walsh hit two pivotal threes (more on that below);

Conversely, Black wasn't impactful, nor was Bitadze; da Silva was good in the first half but was quieted over the game's final 24 minutes.

You have to win on the margins in the NBA. And the Magic's lack of impact off the bench made the ultimate difference in their four-point loss.

Magic lost on margins in these 2 key areas:

Speaking of winning on the margins: The Celtics outpaced the Magic by 18 points from 3-point range, including three critical threes from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jordan Walsh, who put the icing on the cake with 13 seconds left. They also forced 17 Magic turnovers that led to 29 points.

You're not going to win very many games with those numbers. The Magic was superior at the free-throw line (plus-12) and in the paint (plus-eight). It wasn't all bad, but their 17 turnovers and 23.3 3-point percentage were -- which have been two glaring struggles for Orlando this season.

Jalen Suggs bursts out of cannon, forces hand amid minutes restriction:

Celtics' bench dominates:

Magic lost on margins in these 2 key areas:

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