The Celtics and Magic continue their first round series with Game 2 in Boston on Wednesday. In Game 1, the Celtics defeated the Magic 103-86. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Boston is favored by 10.5 points for Game 2 and this contest carries a total of 196 points.
Below, I break down this matchup between the Celtics and Magic, and give a pick for the game via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Celtics vs. Magic preview, prediction
The Celtics were trailing by three points at halftime of Game 1, but they put their foot on the gas in the second half and ran away with a 17-point win. However, Jayson Tatum suffered a bone bruise to his right wrist on hard fall during the fourth quarter and the superstar has been listed as doubtful for Game 2. Tatum has never missed a playoff game in his eight-year career, so him being doubtful is very surprising. The Celtics’ coaching staff likely believes the team can win Game 2 on their home floor without Tatum, and getting him some extra rest to heal his wrist is important with Boston looking ahead in their quest for their second straight championship.
Tatum is one of the top players in the NBA, but even with him missing, the Celtics have been strong this season with an 8-2 record. Ironically, both of these losses came against the Magic, but one of these victories for Orlando was a meaningless game for Boston at the end of the regular season, in which they rested their top six players. The other win for the Magic against the Tatum-less Celtics came in December and was far more legitimate, as every Boston starter was active besides Tatum. That game was in Orlando, however, while tonight’s Game 2 will be in Boston.
Jaylen Brown always steps up as the Celtics’ alpha when Tatum is out and Game 2 should be no exception, even with Brown dealing with a nagging bone bruise in his knee. While Brown only logged 30 minutes in Game 1, he would have played more if the Boston didn’t run away with the victory at the end. Brown wasn’t under any minutes limit heading into this contest and one has to believe that the Celtics are confident in Brown’s health right now, especially if they are willing to sit Tatum for Game 2.
As a group, this Boston team is very accustomed to playing without at least one starter this season, as they have only had their starting five active for 25 of their 83 games. Still, this Celtics team won 62 games and they finished the regular season second in net rating. Boston clearly knows how to win when down a key player and not only should Brown elevate his game Wednesday, but Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford all should step-up in Tatum’s absence.
The Magic put up a decent fight in Game 1, but it took Paolo Banchero going off for 36 points to make it possible. Franz Wagner also finished with 23 points, but after that, no other Orlando player scored more than seven points. The Magic desperately need someone outside of Banchero and Wagner to step-up and provide some offense if they want any chance of upsetting the Celtics in Game 2, even with Tatum absent. In the seven games the Celtics have had Brown active but Tatum inactive this season, Boston has still be terrific offensively, averaging 122.1 points, while the Magic rank third-to-last in scoring this season at 105.4 points per contest.
The Magic are a stout defensive group that finished the regular season second in defensive rating, but they are weak at defending outside shooting, which is the Celtics’ specialty. This season, Orlando is allowing their opponents to hit three-pointers at the eighth-highest clip in the NBA, while Boston leads the league in made three-pointers per game.
As you can see, this is a really poor matchup for the Magic and their only hope of pulling off an upset in Game 2 is the Celtics having a horrible shooting night, combined with Banchero and Wagner both having outstanding performances.
Celtics vs. Magic pick, best bet
As discussed above, this Celtics team knows how to win when missing a key player and they should take care of business in Game 2 despite Tatum being sidelined. In the seven games the Celtics have been without Tatum, but have had Brown active, Boston is 6-1 and their average margin of victory in these games has been a convincing 17.3 points.
Add in the home-court factor — TD Garden is one of the most difficult arenas in the NBA to pull off an upset in the playoffs — and taking the Celtics -10.5 is a smart move for Game 2.
