The Magic are aggressive and relentless, and that’s how they got the better of the Celtics in Game 3 - The Boston Globe (2025)

But in Game 3 Friday, the Magic finally found a way to break the Celtics when they had the chance, clawing back from a 10-point halftime deficit and shoving their way to a 95-93 win that cut the series lead to 2-1. Game 4 will be played here on Sunday night.

Last season the Celtics marched to an NBA title with a 16-3 playoff record and never lost more than one game in a series. That standard will now be tested.

“They’re being aggressive, being handsy, just creating a little bit of chaos,” said Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, whose five stitches on his forehead following a Game 2 elbow provided a visible reminder of what Boston has been dealing with.

The Celtics averaged 116.3 points per game during the regular season, but through the first three games of this series that figure has plummeted to 101.6.

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, who said he dislocated his left index finger when Magic guard Cole Anthony pulled down his arm and committed a second-quarter flagrant foul, acknowledged that the Celtics have been affected by Orlando’s bruising style of play.

Brown alternated between being annoyed at the officials for not calling it both ways — referencing his two third-quarter offensive fouls that put him in foul trouble for most of the second half — and admitting that if he knew he could get away with Orlando’s approach, he would do the same thing.

Then he offered a loud hint that the Celtics have no intentions of being pushed around anymore.

“It is what it is,” Brown said. “If you want to fight it out, we can do that. We can fight to see who goes to the second round.”

See Also

Law firms fighting Trump to ask judges to permanently block executive orders - The Boston Globe

Boston generally plays a more artistic game, launching 3-pointers from all angles and giving opponents little opportunity to leave a mark. But the Celtics, who attempted an NBA-record 48.2 per game during the regular season, mustered just 27 attempts Friday, hitting nine.

Inside the arc, things were sloppy. The Celtics committed 21 turnovers, with Brown and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum combining for 13.

Tatum returned Friday after missing Game 2 because of the bone bruise in his right wrist he suffered in Game 1. He played with black tape covering the wrist, but there were few other signs that he was hindered. He poured in a game-high 36 points and added 9 rebounds.

Franz Wagner had 32 points and Paolo Banchero 29 to lead the Magic, who won despite connecting on just 8 of 32 3-pointers.

The Magic wiped away the 10-point halftime deficit by starting the third quarter with a 16-3 surge. They led, 86-74, with less than seven minutes left in the fourth but were unable to put away the Celtics, who needed just 70 seconds to roar back with a 9-0 run.

A driving layup by Derrick White tied the score at 91 with 2:33 left. But at the other end, Wagner hunted switches against Porzingis and swirled past him for layups on consecutive possessions.

“Just half a step quicker here and maybe I block it,” Porzingis said, “so I’ve just got to be better.”

After another Celtics turnover, Wagner missed a 3-pointer and White and Wendell Carter chased after an offensive rebound near the sideline. It was initially ruled a jump ball, but the Celtics challenged the call since White did not have his hands on it.

Unfortunately for Boston, White’s foot was on the sideline while the ball was touching his head, giving the Magic possession with 48.4 seconds to play, and causing the Celtics to lose a valuable timeout.

But after a Wagner miss, White raced the other way for a dunk that pulled the Celtics within 95-93 with 28.1 seconds left. He had attacked just quickly enough for Boston to rely on its defense rather than intentionally foul.

After an inadvertent whistle on an 8-second call allowed the Magic to keep possession, they ran the shot clock almost all the way down and Wagner missed a 3-pointer that got a fortunate bounce out toward midcourt, allowing precious time to evaporate.

“You don’t expect the rebound to go all the way out to half court,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So if we catch it two bounces earlier, we have plenty of time.”

When Tatum grabbed the ball and the Celtics called timeout, just 0.3 seconds remained, although the Celtics believed they should have had a bit more time.

White fired the inbounds pass off the rim on a designed play, but it was tapped out by the Magic as time expired.

“It was a perfect pass” Mazzulla said. “We just didn’t execute.”

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.