The Boston Celtics needed a reset and got one against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden Friday night.
Boston hadn’t been right for quite some time with just a 7-7 record in their last 14 games before Friday’s contest. Their concerning loss to the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night sparked a necessary urgency to get right on the home parquet.
The Celtics answered the challenge with an efficient scoring attack to neutralize a quality Magic defense as they came away with a 121-94 win. Boston improved 29-12 while Orlando dropped 23-20.
Here are three studs and two duds from Boston’s needed win:
STUDS
Jayson Tatum
Boston’s superstar took the initiative to start hot for the lineup. Tatum dropped 20 points in the first half and set the tone for a quality offensive night from the floor where the Celtics made shots at a high level. Tatum led all scorers with 30 points.
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Kristaps Porzingis
Boston’s big man moved well at both ends of the floor and shot the ball extremely well from the floor. Porzingis dropped 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting despite managing four fouls.
Shooting efficiency
Boston’s offense looked like quality over quantity against the Magic. The Celtics took far less attempts than normal but made them at a 61% clip in the first half, including 60% from three-point range.
The Celtics finished the night at 52.5% from the field and just under 46% from three-point range.
DUDS
Orlando’s 3-point shooting
The Magic posted shooting trends in the opposite direction from the Celtics in this one.
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Boston held Orlando to just 3-of-13 shooting from the outside in the first half and 5-of-32 for the game. That’s just 15.6%.
Paolo Banchero
Banchero still led the Magic in scoring with 21 points on just 8-of-20 shooting., but Boston ran wild with him on the floor for a minus-19 rating.
Featured image via Eric Canha/Imagn Images