BSJ Game Report: Celtics 103, Magic 86 - Holiday's big third quarter, White's 30, power Game 1 win

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Magic in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The first quarter was physical, but the Celtics shot well and led by eight despite giving up eight offensive rebounds. They pushed it to 12 early in the second behind Payton Pritchard, but Orlando went on a huge run to take a one-point lead at halftime. Boston took that back in the third with a Jrue Holiday-fueled run to go up 13. They pushed it to 18 in the fourth and Orlando never threatened after that.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Guards go off: Holiday fueled the turnaround, Pritchard hit killer shots off the bench, and Derrick White made the whole thing go. With so much focus on the wings, the guards came through in a big way to fuel a big win. 

- Tough scoring from the Jays: Jaylen Brown was feeling his way back into things after the long layoff and gave them 16 points. Jayson Tatum struggled with his shot, going 8-22 overall, 1-8 from 3, and 0-4 from the line. They were outscored 59-33 by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, which makes the 17-point win even more amazing.

- Numbers don’t lie: This game seemed to follow the formula we expected, for the most part. Orlando got big games from their stars, but still couldn't break 90. Boston was limited to 37 3-point attempts, but they still made 16. Orlando’s defense and lack of scoring ability killed them. Boston’s shooting and depth came through when they needed it. This is what we expected.  

TURNING POINT 

The Celtics opened the third quarter on a 26-10 run, fueled by Jrue Holiday pushing the pace and hitting 3-pointers. The Celtics made it a point to run a little bit more and it paid off. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Derrick White: You DEFINITELY know why today. White was the only Celtic to find his way to a normal stat line. He got 12 3-pointers up against a Magic defense designed to limit those. 

“I think my teammates do a good job of driving, and when they commit, I usually am the one that's open,” White said. “So just trying to be available and I can, and if I get a good look, just let it fly.”

White also had two blocks and a steal. He did it all. 

- Jrue Holiday: He changed the game in the third quarter. The Celtics got too caught up in pigeon hunting and got away from the simple things that open up their offense. Holiday got them back into the right style of play by pushing off misses AND makes. He had nine points off perfect 3-3 shooting from deep, four assists, and two steals in the third quarter alone. 

“That's the Jrue I love,” Brown said. “You could see him picking up guys and blowing through screens and just making plays and when we get that Jrue, it's a good sign for us.”

- Payton Pritchard: He showed exactly why he’s Sixth Man of the Year, pouring in 19 points off the bench. That's two more than Orlando’s entire bench. Pritchard played at a different speed, getting to the rim, drawing defenders, and dropping three assists. 

Also this move was sweet.

- Jaylen Brown: He looked great in his return and the knee didn’t seem to be bothering him much. 

“It took me a little bit to get into the game,” Brown said. “I feel like I was watching a little bit to start. Second half, I was able to get more involved, make some plays. Have some better activities. First game, I haven't played in a while. Looking forward to the next one and just building from here."

He had 16 points on 6-14 shooting, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He punctuated his night with a big two-hand dunk. 

“I ain't got one of those in a little bit. It feels good,” he said. “But we're just getting started. Today was my first game back after a little while. It's the playoffs. It's the best time of the year. So I'm excited. This is what I live for."

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Jayson Tatum trying to do too much: The Magic love to bait players into isolation because it plays right into their hands. All their help defenders can get set, and no one has to make any big decisions. Tatum fired up some rough-looking shots on his way to 36.4% shooting and a 1-8 night from 3. He did do other things, like grab 14 rebounds. He played better in the second half as the Celtics moved the ball better. 

- Tatum falling on his wrist: He said it was fine after the game an the x-ray came back clean, which is a relief. 

- Kristaps Porzingis: He was good defensively, but he was too loose with the ball early in the game and he was 1-8 from the field (0-2 from 3). I would like to see him space the floor more and be a 3-point threat.

- Offensive rebounding: They corrected this in the second half, but the Celtics are lucky that the 10 offensive rebounds they allowed in the first half only led to seven second-chance points. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- They handled Jaylen Brown’s minutes well.

I love that he only went 31 minutes. I thought coming into this series that playing everyone playoff minutes but limiting Brown to more of a regular season rotation to preserve his knee made sense. 

"I'm feeling a lot better, moving a lot better,” Brown said. “I think some people have definitely been praying for me over the last couple weeks or whatever and I'm feeling a lot better. Just take it one day at a time.”

- I don’t want to overreact to one game … but … 

This game is exactly why I predicted Celtics in five. This was the one game in the series where someone else carried them to a win. Tatum and Brown will do it at least once. Porzingis will have a big night somewhere. And then there's the normal night where everyone is on fire. 

Orlando got huge nights from their stars and nothing else from anyone. Those stars won’t always play like this and I definitely don’t expect Banchero to go 4-7 from 3 every night, so this is a missed opportunity. Still, those other guys will come together for one win somewhere along the way, I think. I just don’t see it all coming together for more than one or two games, max. 

Next up: Game 2 is Wednesday night at 7.