During the regular season, the Orlando Magic took two of three games against the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum did not play in the first game, though, and none of the starters for Boston played in the third one. In the second game, Boston clobbered the Magic, 121-94, but Franz Wagner was out.
In the first game of their playoff series, Boston dispatched of Orlando by 17 points, but the Magic went into halftime with a one-point lead. Tatum did not play in the second game, but Boston still prevailed by nine points.
There are reasons why the Celtics won 61 games and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and this series looked to be a wrap.
The Magic were the seventh seed with a .500 record, but both Paolo Banchero and Wagner missed significant amount of time and, despite the offensive struggles, Orlando finished the regular season with the second-best defensive rating. And when the series went back to Orlando for Game 3, the Magic were able to stifle a fully-healthy Celtics team to 93 points while the Banchero and Wagner duo were magnificent on offense, leading Orlando to victory.
In Game 4 on Sunday, the Magic defense once again gave Boston trouble, but down the stretch in winning time, the Celtics were able to execute. It was the fourth-ranked defense of Boston that was able to neuter the Orlando offense to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with a 107-98 victory.
Jayson Tatum ($9,200; 56.75 FPTS) led the way for Boston with 28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 38 minutes. He shot 9-of-23 from the field, 3-of-10 from downtown and converted all seven of his free throws.
Derrick White ($7,000; 38.5 FPTS) finished with 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists and a block while Jaylen Brown ($7,900; 36.5 FPTS) put up 19 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and two steals. Brown only shot 6-of-16 from the field, though, and missed all three attempts from beyond the arc.
Kristaps Porzingis ($7,100; 25 FPTS) only played 20 minutes due to foul trouble.
Orlando was led once again by Banchero ($9,400; 41.25 FPTS), who contributed 27 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block. The shooting efficiency was poor, though, as he converted 10-of-27 field goal attempts, 2-of-5 from downtown and 5-of-9 from the line.
Wagner ($8,100; 38.75 FPTS) finished with 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Wagner shot 9-of-20 from the field, 2-of-6 from downtown and 2-of-3 from the line.
Wendell Carter Jr. ($5,200; 28.75 FPTS) continued to monopolize the center minutes, receiving 32 and putting up nine points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a block.
Cory Joseph ($3,300; 27.75 FPTS) continued being an excellent value play, putting up 12 points, three rebounds, six assists and a steal in 25 minutes.
Boston will look to clinch the series at home on Tuesday.
