Celtics Close Late to Beat the Magic 108-97 at the Kia Center — Tatum's 32 Outlast 23 Each From Da Silva and Black
Orlando, playing without Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, was within four points with under four minutes left — then Boston closed on an 11-4 run, and 18 Magic turnovers became 21 Celtics points in an 11-point loss.
The Orlando Magic made Boston work for all of Sunday afternoon, and then the last four minutes took it away. The Celtics beat the Magic 108-97 at the Kia Center, closing on an 11-4 run after Orlando had cut the margin to four points with just under four minutes to play. Boston led 55-50 at halftime and 77-74 after three quarters before a 31-23 fourth settled it. The loss drops Orlando to 2-4; Boston improves to 5-1.
Jayson Tatum carried the visitors with 32 points on 8-of-19 shooting — 15 of them at the free-throw line, where he went 15-of-17 — with four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. Orlando's answer came from its depth: Tristan da Silva scored a team-high 23 points off the bench on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range, and Anthony Black added 23, making 10 of 11 free throws. Franz Wagner struggled from the field, 5-of-20 for 14 points, though he dealt 12 assists. Both performances came with Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs on the sidelines.
The arithmetic of the loss is in two lines. Orlando gave the ball away 18 times, and Boston turned those turnovers into 21 points — in an 11-point game. The Celtics also pulled 14 offensive rebounds for 15 second-chance points. There is no day to dwell on it: the Magic are back at the Kia Center tomorrow night, Monday, against Washington, with a 7:30 p.m. Eastern tip — the first November date on SunRail's free Train-To-The-Game promotion for weeknight ticketholders.
