The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 103-86 in the series’ first game on Sunday. Despite taking the home win, fans feared the worst as Jayson Tatum laid on the court in agony after failing a dunk attempt and landing on his wrist in the fourth quarter.
However, supporters can exhale as the leader said, “It’s all right. Just fell on it, landed on it,” Tatum said to Yahoo Sports, “[…] It was throbbing for a second, (then) kind of went away.”
Regardless of the injury, the former Duke Blue Devil scored 17 points, sinking seven of 14 field goals, but struggled from deep, only knocking down one of eight attempts. Additionally, the 27-year-old secured 14 rebounds and dished out four assists.
Turning the page, Derrick White, the focal point of the offence, notched a 30-point game, cashing in seven of 12 three-pointers and three of six shots within the arc. The 30-year-old got hot in the first quarter, leading with eight points and only missing two shots, keeping the team alive. In addition, the two-way player blocked two balls and grabbed four boards. In the fourth frame with 8:40 remaining, White swatted away crucial potential buckets, helping the Celtics keep a comfortable 16-point lead.
Aside from White, Payton Pritchard contributed 19 points off the bench. The former Oregon Duck drilled four of six attempts from beyond the arc, shooting perfectly from the field. Additionally, the sixth man finalist played an impressive first half, making 100 percent of his shots from all ranges. The 27-year-old went into halftime with 11 points, the only other Celtic with 10-plus points.
In addition, after suffering a knee injury and missing the franchise’s last three regular-season contests, Jaylen Brown returned to the court without missing a beat. The guard finished the night with 16 points, burying six of 12 buckets within the paint. However, similar to Tatum, Brown struggled outside the perimeter, launching the rock twice but missing both tries. Regardless of the botched three-pointers, the 28-year-old caught five boards and stole two balls.
Some notable players who underperformed on Sunday were Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. Despite playing for 27 minutes, Porzingis faced challenges when it came to scoring. The big man dropped five points, with most of them coming from the free-throw line, making three out of four fouls. Additionally, the 7-foot-2 center knocked down only one of eight two-pointers and botched both three-point attempts. Nonetheless, seeing the dynamic player performing poorly is rare, as he averaged 19 and a half points in the regular season, the third highest amongst the team, per ESPN.
Moving on, like Porzingis, Horford accumulated five points. However, the former Florida Gator hardly put up shots, targeting the net only three times throughout the match. The 38-year-old converted one of two field goals and drilled one from deep. With that being said, throwing up a dud game is normal for all athletes and getting back on track should happen for both key players in Wednesday night’s clash, especially if Tatum is not 100 percent healthy.
Reflecting on game one, going into halftime 49-48, the Magic, up by one, stayed with the Celtics. Nevertheless, the home team drifted off, going on a 28-12 run in the third quarter. To add on, the Celtics outscored the opponent from beyond the arc in the second half, which solidified the victory. The team drained nine of 21 attempts, whereas the Magic made three of nine tries from downtown.
Heading into the series’ second matchup, separating the Magic’s roster from Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero once again is a must. While the two forwards combined for 59 of the team’s 86 points, the next highest was Jonathan Isaac with seven points. Regardless of Wagner and Banchero playing well, it will take more than two players for the team to win contests.
Fans can tune into the series’ second clash on TNT or NBC Sports with Tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday.