Defending champion Celtics close
out Magic 120-89 for 4-1 playoff series win
[April 30, 2025]
By JIMMY GOLEN
BOSTON (AP) — When Magic star Paolo Banchero went to the bench with
five fouls, the Boston Celtics pulled away and cruised into the
Eastern Conference semifinals.
Jayson Tatum had 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the
Celtics abandoned their usual 3-point barrage to beat Orlando 120-89
in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
The defending NBA champions will play either the New York Knicks or
Detroit Pistons in the second round. The Knicks lead their series
3-2 despite falling 106-103 earlier Tuesday in New York.
“You just have to find different ways,” said Celtics coach Joe
Mazzulla, whose team set NBA records in the regular season for the
most 3-point baskets but made none at all in the first half — a
first in almost four years.
“That’s what this series called for. Every series calls for
different things,” Mazzulla said. “You have to be able to win in
different ways on both sides of the ball.”
Franz Wagner scored 25 points, Banchero had 19 and Wendell Carter
Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who have not won a
playoff series since Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and coach Stan Van
Gundy led them to the Eastern Conference finals in 2010.
Boston fell behind by nine in the first half, and Orlando still led
51-47 early in the third quarter when Banchero picked up his fourth
foul; just 79 seconds later, he picked up his fifth, a call that
sent an apoplectic coach Jamahl Mosley to the officials, demanding a
review.
The replay showed Banchero stepped into Jaylen Brown as he shot, and
the Magic forward went to the bench, where he stayed for the rest of
the quarter. In that time, Boston scored 31 of the next 40 points to
open an 83-62 lead.
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) celebrates with teammate
Derrick White while leading the Orlando Magic during the second half
in Game 5 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series, Tuesday,
April 29, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“It definitely swung the series. It definitely
swung the game,” Mosley said. “All I saw is Paolo getting an elbow
to the face or back into the face — and he got the foul. That was a
game-changer right there. Your best player picks up his fifth foul
in the third quarter. It’s tough to come back from that moment.”
Brown scored 23 points for Boston.
Tatum, who injured his wrist on a hard foul in Game 1 and missed
Game 2, returned with three straight games of at least 35 points. He
was 11 for 11 from the free-throw line — he has not missed a foul
shot since Game 1 — and 10 for 16 from the field, making four of
five 3-point attempts.
The Celtics attempted only six 3-pointers in the first half and made
none. It was the first time they went into halftime without a 3
since 2021.
Tatum made their first 3-pointer early in the third quarter, but it
would be another seven minutes before he made their second. During
the regular season, they made one, on average, every 2 minutes, 42
seconds.
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