BSJ Game Report: Celtics 132, Magic 96 - Nice win, move on

Everything you need to know about the Celtics 132-96 win over the Orlando Magic with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

HEADLINES

The Celtics are just better than Orlando. Watching that Magic team, I’m reminded of the Chris Berman line “rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’” because that’s basically what the Magic were doing for most of the game. Boston had 24 points off 19 Magic turnovers and started out with 13 of their first 19 points scored on the fast break.

Kemba Walker is looking good. He dropped 32 points on 11-18 shooting (6-9 from 3) and just one turnover. 

"I felt good. I felt really good actually,” he said. “I was able to get some rest. I was a little fresh today. It definitely felt good. I’ll definitely take it, for sure.”

TURNING POINT

Really, it was the opening tip, but I’ll give Orlando a little credit for cutting the lead to 15 in the third quarter. Jayson Tatum had just gotten blocked by Mo Bamba but Bamba was called for a tech for taunting and Tatum then whipped off 11 points in 2:42 to help push the lead to 26. 

TOP PLAY

Tacko Fall vs. Mo Bamba. They need to make a 30 for 30 about this. 

https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/1390111015254298624

“That was a great move,” Kemba Walker said after the game. “I mean, he hit him with a little move outside, got in the paint, up and under. It was super smooth. He works on that stuff all the time, so it was good to see him do it in a game.”

FOUR UP 

Jayson Tatum: This was an extremely casual 27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks performance. He wasn’t attacking a whole lot, but the shots fell when they needed to. If you went to the fridge during that third quarter stretch you might be very confused by how great his stat line looked. It’s one of those “you have to be really good to coast like he did and put up these numbers” kind of game.

Kemba Walker: Rested Kemba is good Kemba. He was super efficient, which is not typical for Walker. One upside to the time he’s missed is that his legs are a little fresher than everyone else’s. 

Evan Fournier: He looks like he’s turning a corner. Things are a little crisper all around. His 18 points on 57% shooting (2-5 from 3), 5 rebounds, 4 assists performance is the perfect stat line. If he can give Boston close to this when they’re at full strength, they’ll be dangerous in the playoffs.

“I thought he looked really comfortable. He's engaged,” Brad Stevens said. “I think he looks a little bit more comfortable every night. He played really well in the Portland game on both ends. Tonight, I thought he was great defensively on Gary Harris and then did a really good job on the offensive end of picking his spots and just making the right play.”

He’s also developed a quick chemistry with Walker. 

“He just knows how to play the game the right way,” Walker said. “I've played against Evan for years now. But he's an incredible player. You know, I think we just had an instant chemistry. He's just fun to play with."

Payton Pritchard: The kid gets buckets. 14 points off the bench on 8 shots is a nice, efficient night. 

ONE DOWN

Grant Williams: Yeesh, this one was rough for Williams. He air balled a floater, which was not great. 

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

Nice win. Move on. This game was exactly what Boston needed. They walked into Orlando, stomped on them early, held off a couple of runs, and walked out with a big win where only Tatum played more than 30 minutes (30:52). 

The second quarter was a bit of an abomination, but they overcame that quickly. I’m not going to slam a good team for slacking a little bit in the middle of a blowout. They never let it get out of control. 

Now the focus quickly has to turn to Chicago. They’re getting Zach LaVine back Thursday night, so it’s unclear if he’ll play in the back-to-back. It might actually help the Celtics if he plays because they’ll have a little extra motivation to stop an All-Star. 

Regardless, they need to treat the Bulls with the same urgency as the Magic. Make the defensive plays early, get a lead, and protect the lead. The Denver Nuggets are up big on New York as this is going up, so if that holds, Boston will close the gap between them to two. That’s a big deal with the Celtics and Knicks playing on the final game of the season. All they would need to do is be one game better than the Knicks until then and win that game to leapfrog them in the standings. 

So nice win, Celtics. You smacked a G League team around exactly like you should have. Now serving: Game 67.