Celtics beat Magic 128-111, remain unbeaten in Boston for the season
BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics keep winning at home.
And this time they did it without their top three big men.
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Payton Pritchard added 21 off the bench and the Celtics remained unbeaten in Boston this season with a 128-111 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night. The Celtics were playing on back-to-back nights - their third game in four days - and without Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and even Luke Kornet.
“We had to change our game a little bit,” said Pritchard, who went 6 for 7 from 3-point range and led a bench that outscored Orlando's 47-28. “When you have guys like KP and Al and we get in half-court sets, we need them for sure. But not having them we had to .. use our speed to our advantage.”
Porzingis and Kornet were scratched with muscle tightness, and the 37-year-old Horford got the night off after playing 23 minutes in Thursday night’s win over Cleveland.
The victory was the Celtics’ 13th straight in Boston - the second-longest streak to start a season in franchise history. Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn led Boston to 17 home wins in a row to open the 1957-58 season.
The Celtics have not lost at home in 20 regular-season games dating to March 5 of last season. (They did lose in last season’s playoffs, including a Game 7 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.)
“We’ve dropped some games that we should have, or we didn’t want to, over the years at home,” said Jaylen Brown, who scored 18. “The mentality is: You can’t skip any steps. Every shootaround, every practice, every warmup, any time you’re walking to the bus, you’ve got to be aware of what the job is, what the ultimate goal is, and what our mission is. ... I think that’s why we’ve been able to have such a good run at home.”
Derrick White scored 19 points with eight assists and four steals, Sam Hauser also had four steals and Neemias Queta - Boston’s only available 7-footer - blocked three shots. Six-foot-6 Lamar Stevens started at center, and Neemias Queta, playing in his fourth game of the year, blocked three shots.
“It’s great for them when they get their opportunity, they come out and they ball,” Brown said. “Games like this are big for those guys.”
Jalen Suggs scored 19 points and Goga Bitadze had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, who had beaten the Celtics four times in a row. One of them was an In-Season Tournament game in Orlando – Boston’s only loss in the group stage.
The Celtics missed their first eight 3-point attempts before Pritchard sank one with five minutes left in the first quarter to cut a six-point deficit in half. He added another 30 seconds later and one more as the final basket of the quarter during an 18-7 closing run that gave Boston a 30-24 lead.
Orlando came within one point early in the second on back-to-back 3s by Cole Anthony before Boston scored 16 of the next 21 points to pull away. The Celtics led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter and 25 points in the third.
UP NEXT
The teams meet again on Sunday in Boston.
---
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Goga Bitadze vs. Lamar Stevens (Jalen Suggs gains possession) | |||
11:36 | +3 | Jalen Suggs makes three point stepback jump shot | 3-0 | |
11:07 | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | |||
11:03 | Anthony Black defensive rebound | |||
10:50 | +2 | Franz Wagner makes two point driving reverse layup | 5-0 | |
10:37 | Lamar Stevens misses three point jump shot | |||
10:32 | Jalen Suggs defensive rebound | |||
10:31 | Jalen Suggs misses two point running layup | |||
10:26 | Goga Bitadze offensive rebound | |||
10:24 | +2 | Goga Bitadze makes two point putback layup | 7-0 | |
10:17 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup (Derrick White assists) | 7-2 | |
9:56 | Franz Wagner misses three point jump shot | |||
9:56 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
9:44 | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | |||
9:41 | Anthony Black defensive rebound | |||
9:37 | +2 | Franz Wagner makes two point running layup (Anthony Black assists) | 9-2 | |
9:33 | Jayson Tatum turnover (bad pass) (Franz Wagner steals) | |||
9:27 | Franz Wagner misses three point jump shot | |||
9:25 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
9:21 | +2 | Lamar Stevens makes two point layup (Derrick White assists) | 9-4 | |
8:55 | Jalen Suggs misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
8:52 | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | |||
8:48 | Derrick White misses three point running jump shot | |||
8:45 | Goga Bitadze defensive rebound | |||
8:36 | Paolo Banchero turnover (bad pass) (Jrue Holiday steals) | |||
8:29 | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | |||
8:26 | Anthony Black defensive rebound | |||
8:22 | Franz Wagner offensive foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | |||
8:22 | Franz Wagner turnover (offensive foul) | |||
7:59 | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | |||
7:58 | Celtics offensive rebound | |||
7:58 | Celtics turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
7:46 | +2 | Paolo Banchero makes two point driving layup | 11-4 | |
7:32 | +2 | Lamar Stevens makes two point dunk (Jrue Holiday assists) | 11-6 | |
7:22 | Jrue Holiday personal foul (Franz Wagner draws the foul) | |||
7:09 | +2 | Goga Bitadze makes two point reverse layup (Anthony Black assists) | 13-6 | |
7:02 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving dunk (Derrick White assists) | 13-8 | |
6:54 | Jaylen Brown blocks Franz Wagner's two point cutting layup | |||
6:54 | Lamar Stevens defensive rebound | |||
6:48 | Jrue Holiday misses three point running pullup jump shot | |||
6:45 | Anthony Black defensive rebound | |||
6:38 | Paolo Banchero turnover (lost ball) (Derrick White steals) | |||
6:35 | Anthony Black shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | |||
6:35 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
6:35 | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-9 | |
6:35 | Jaylen Brown misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
6:29 | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | |||
6:27 | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | |||
6:24 | Paolo Banchero defensive rebound | |||
6:21 | +2 | Jalen Suggs makes two point running layup (Paolo Banchero assists) | 15-9 | |
6:11 | Paolo Banchero blocks Derrick White's two point driving layup | |||
6:09 | Jalen Suggs defensive rebound | |||
6:09 | Jalen Suggs offensive foul (Jrue Holiday draws the foul) | |||
6:09 | Jalen Suggs turnover (offensive foul) | |||
6:09 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
5:47 | Jaylen Brown misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:46 | Magic defensive rebound | |||
5:46 | Lamar Stevens personal foul (Loose ball) (Goga Bitadze draws the foul) | |||
5:37 | Paolo Banchero turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
5:27 | Derrick White misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
5:23 | Joe Ingles defensive rebound | |||
5:15 | Paolo Banchero misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:13 | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | |||
5:05 | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 15-12 | |
4:49 | +2 | Anthony Black makes two point cutting dunk (Paolo Banchero assists) | 17-12 | |
4:32 | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 17-15 | |
4:14 | Paolo Banchero misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
4:12 | Derrick White defensive rebound | |||
4:07 | Jalen Suggs blocks Payton Pritchard's two point running layup | |||
4:06 | Celtics offensive rebound | |||
4:06 | Magic 60 second timeout | |||
3:58 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point pullup jump shot | 17-17 | |
3:58 | Cole Anthony shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | |||
3:58 | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 17-18 | |
3:55 | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Cole Anthony draws the foul) | |||
3:40 | +2 | Cole Anthony makes two point driving layup | 19-18 | |
3:26 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 19-20 | |
3:07 | +2 | Paolo Banchero makes two point alley-oop layup (Joe Ingles assists) | 21-20 | |
2:58 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point hook shot | 21-22 | |
2:46 | Goga Bitadze turnover (lost ball) (Neemias Queta steals) | |||
2:39 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point running layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 21-24 | |
2:20 | +2 | Goga Bitadze makes two point cutting layup (Joe Ingles assists) | 23-24 | |
2:03 | Payton Pritchard misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
2:00 | Paolo Banchero defensive rebound | |||
1:46 | Cole Anthony misses three point jump shot | |||
1:40 | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | |||
1:26 | Jaylen Brown misses three point jump shot | |||
1:24 | Paolo Banchero defensive rebound | |||
1:15 | Neemias Queta shooting foul (Paolo Banchero draws the foul) | |||
1:15 | +1 | Paolo Banchero makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 24-24 | |
1:15 | Paolo Banchero misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
1:13 | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | |||
0:55 | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point pullup jump shot | 24-27 | |
0:41 | Gary Harris misses three point jump shot | |||
0:38 | Joe Ingles offensive rebound | |||
0:35 | Neemias Queta blocks Joe Ingles's two point layup | |||
0:32 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
0:23 | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 24-30 | |
0:02 | Moritz Wagner turnover (bad pass) (Sam Hauser steals) | |||
0:00 | Jaylen Brown misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
0:00 | Celtics offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:44 | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving layup | |||
11:43 | Jonathan Isaac defensive rebound | |||
11:39 | Franz Wagner turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
11:16 | +2 | Oshae Brissett makes two point driving reverse layup (Jayson Tatum assists) | 24-32 | |
11:07 | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Cole Anthony draws the foul) | |||
10:58 | Neemias Queta blocks Franz Wagner's two point driving layup | |||
10:57 | Magic offensive rebound | |||
10:52 | Neemias Queta shooting foul (Franz Wagner draws the foul) | |||
10:52 | +1 | Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-32 | |
10:52 | +1 | Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-32 | |
10:43 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 26-34 | |
10:43 | Jonathan Isaac shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | |||
10:43 | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 26-35 | |
10:33 | +2 | Gary Harris makes two point pullup jump shot (Cole Anthony assists) | 28-35 | |
10:11 | Oshae Brissett turnover (lost ball) (Franz Wagner steals) | |||
10:10 | Oshae Brissett personal foul (Franz Wagner draws the foul) | |||
9:58 | Oshae Brissett shooting foul (Cole Anthony draws the foul) | |||
9:58 | +1 | Cole Anthony makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-35 | |
9:58 | +1 | Cole Anthony makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-35 | |
9:43 | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
9:41 | Franz Wagner defensive rebound | |||
9:27 | +3 | Cole Anthony makes three point jump shot (Moritz Wagner assists) | 33-35 | |
9:14 | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point driving layup (Oshae Brissett assists) | 33-37 | |
8:55 | +3 | Cole Anthony makes three point jump shot (Franz Wagner assists) | 36-37 | |
8:39 | Jrue Holiday misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
8:37 | Neemias Queta offensive rebound | |||
8:35 | +3 | Oshae Brissett makes three point jump shot (Neemias Queta assists) | 36-40 | |
8:24 | Moritz Wagner misses three point jump shot | |||
8:24 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
8:15 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 36-42 | |
8:15 | Moritz Wagner shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | |||
8:15 | Jayson Tatum misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
8:12 | Franz Wagner defensive rebound | |||
8:00 | Neemias Queta shooting foul (Franz Wagner draws the foul) | |||
8:00 | +1 | Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-42 | |
8:00 | +1 | Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-42 | |
7:43 | +2 | Oshae Brissett makes two point cutting dunk (Jrue Holiday assists) | 38-44 | |
7:32 | Franz Wagner misses two point driving hook shot | |||
7:28 | Jonathan Isaac offensive rebound | |||
7:28 | +2 | Jonathan Isaac makes two point tip layup | 40-44 | |
7:23 | Gary Harris personal foul (Jrue Holiday draws the foul) | |||
7:18 | Cole Anthony personal foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | |||
7:06 | Jrue Holiday misses two point pullup bank jump shot | |||
7:04 | Jonathan Isaac defensive rebound | |||
6:47 | Cole Anthony misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
6:47 | Celtics defensive rebound | |||
6:47 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
6:33 | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving layup | 40-46 | |
6:06 | Jalen Suggs misses three point jump shot | |||
6:04 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
5:48 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 40-48 | |
5:32 | Derrick White blocks Paolo Banchero's two point driving layup |