Final: Magic 105, Celtics 103 -- Tatum misses buzzer beater as C's drop third straight on road

Jayson Tatum missed a potential game-tying shot at the end of regulation, as a nine-point rally by the Celtics in the final three minutes in Orlando fell short in a 105-103 defeat to the Magic. Kyrie Irving had a team-high 24 points, including several crucial ones in the closing minutes but he failed to touch the ball on the final possession as Gordon Hayward opted to inbound the ball to Tatum instead of waiting for Irving's inbounds action. Irving had words for Hayward after the final buzzer.

The Magic scored 64 points in the second half to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit, on the backs of Aaron Gordon (game-high 28 points) and Terrence Ross (25 points). All five Boston starters scored in double figures but the entire bench unit (outside of Jaylen Brown) had a very tough offensive night, losing big leads in both halves against an Orlando team that had lost four straight games prior to the win.

The Celtics will try to salvage their road trip with a win in Brooklyn on Monday after falling to 25-17 on the season.

First Half Notes

• Horrendous offense from both teams in the first quarter, as they combine to shoot roughly 30 percent from the field.


• C's making many uncharacteristic errors early on, including five missed free throws from two of their best shooters in Morris and Hayward.


• C's lead by as many as nine in first quarter but the offense falls apart once the bench unit enters, going ice cold for the final few minutes of the frame as Magic put together a 16-1 run to build a seven-point lead in an ugly affair.


• Robert Williams makes a brief cameo but really struggles defensively against Aaron Gordon on switches, which earns him a quick seat.


• Very nice recovery offensively in second quarter thanks to Jaylen Brown (12 points), Marcus Morris and Smart to help C's re-assert command and head into break with a 10-point lead against a listless Magic offense.

• The Celtics will get a bit of a boost with Al Horford as his minutes limit were increased into the 30s, according to head coach Brad Stevens.


• The Magic have lost four straight games, pushing them out of the playoff picture in the East for the time being after a strong first two months to the season. Their struggles have largely come on the offensive end, where they rank 28th in the league in offensive rating through 41 games.


• Rookie center Mo Bamba will be sidelined for this one with a sore left knee.


• Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris and Brad Stevens all downplayed the shoving incident on Boston's bench during the loss against the Heat before the game. “We moved past it after the timeout,” Morris told reporters at the team’s morning shoot-around. “I know everybody wants to catch everything on camera, but catch the stuff that happens afterward, when we sat right beside each other and it was over. I know social media is going to make a big deal about something like that, but I feel as though I’m one of the leaders on this team, so if I have an engagement with any of my teammates we all know that it’s basketball related and it goes nothing past the court. It’s just two guys that both care about the game and that’s all it was.”