Final: Magic 116, Celtics 108 -- C's lose Smart, Tatum to injury

The Celtics are now officially the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference but the bigger story on Sunday night are the players they lost on the floor. Jayson Tatum (shin contusion) and Marcus Smart (strained oblique) both suffered injuries in the 116-108 defeat to the Magic, casting a shadow over a largely meaningless defeat for the green. Terrence Ross had a game-high 26 points in the win, which allowed Orlando to clinch a playoff spot. Kyrie Irving had a team-high 23 points for the Celtics who limited the minutes of Al Horford and Aron Baynes in the second half.

First Half Notes 

• Vucevic putting on an absolute show early on, abusing Baynes in the post and knocking down wide open looks from the perimeter. He scored 13 of first 19 points for Magic.


• C's offense flowing fairly well early with Al Horford doing some nice work in the paint with 10 first quarter points himself.


• Jayson Tatum asks out of the game due to a left shin contusion. He will not return.


• Celtics second unit showing some nice energy early with the talent edge over the Magic. They started off the second quarter with a 14-5 run, an encouraging sign.


• Hayward makes his first three shots of the game, running his consecutive made shots to 15 over last five games. He leads all scorers with 10 points after one.


• Thirty points off the Celtics bench early with everyone shooting over 50 percent besides Marcus Morris.


• Magic starters close out the half with a 9-2 run to get things within four. Will be very interesting to see whether Stevens sticks with his starters for usual minutes in second half given the No. 4 seed is clinched.

• The Celtics will lock in homecourt advantage in the first round with a win over the Magic on Sunday night or a loss by the Pacers against the Nets.


• Brad Stevens plans on playing his roster regular minutes with uncertainty surrounding the team's seeding. “Anyone that’s available, we’re going to play normally,” Stevens said on Sunday morning. “Obviously we don’t have anything sewn up from a seedings standpoint yet. So, our plan of attack is to be the best that we can be tonight and go from there.”


• Jaylen Brown remains doubtful with back spasms but was seen working getting a workout on Sunday morning so his status could be upgraded ahead of game time. Terry Rozier is questionable due to illness while Al Horford remains probable with left knee soreness.


• The Magic are 2-0 against the Celtics this year, including a win at the Garden back in November. They will clinch a playoff spot tonight with a victory or a pair of losses by the Heat and Hornets.